Finchel in the USA
by Kitkatandcheerio
Summary: AU Finchel A series of one shots centered in various cities in the USA, doing various jobs, meeting, facing challenges, and getting their much deserved happy ending.
1. Chapter 1

Finchel In The USA

Hi guys! This is a series of one shots of Finchel meeting in various places in the USA. I have traveled extensively, and love so many places, I wanted Finchel in all my favorite spots. Anyway Finchel is AU in all of these. Any errors you find are mine due to my carelessness!

So...here is the first one...hope you like it. For the titles of the chapters I tried to find something that they have said that somehow relates to the place. I loved Finn calling Rachel his moose...so here it is.

I don't own Glee or its characters. I just do this for fun and because I have a lot of free time.

**Chapter 1 - You're my moose - Vermont**

"God, you are so lucky! I'm so jealous right now. How did you end up being the nanny of such a great family? Oh, wait! I forgot. I found them for you." Santana is beyond frustrated. Ever since Rachel became the nanny of this super rich couple in the city, Rachel has been taken to so many places along for their vacations, that it borders on ridiculous. They have even taken her overseas. Santana found the notice for a nanny in the paper at the time that Rachel was looking for a job and ever since then she has lived the jet set life during her breaks from school and many weekends.

"Hey, it's not my fault they love me!" Rachel really loved the kids too. The youngest had just started first grade, and even though Rachel was needed only for a few hours a day in the afternoons and some on weekend evenings, they still paid her an almost full time salary.

"You're going skiing, and the kids will be in ski school all day! So why do they need you?" Santana is angry cause unless she goes home, she'll be spending her Christmas holiday alone.

"Frankly, I didn't ask...they offered an all expenses paid one week vacation to Stowe, Vermont. I am not stupid...I jumped at the chance. I haven't skied this year at all, so I am really looking forward to it."

F+R/F+R/

"Wow! This place is gorgeous!" Rachel looks at the lobby of the Lodge at Stowe and is amazed at how rustic and beautiful it looks. Dark wood beams and tile contrast each other in the decor but it works beautifully. Mr. and Mrs. Golder are handing her the key to her room. She looks puzzled at them. She normally stays in their suite.

"You have a room to yourself, Rachel. We could only get a two bedroom suite, so you have a separate hotel room to yourself. We don't expect to need you very much, we wanted to bring you just in case one of the girls gets ill, Katie wasn't feeling well a couple of days ago, so the rest of us could still enjoy our vacation. So you are on your own except for Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Other than that, you are on call in case of emergencies. Here is a card that is linked to our hotel account. Feel free to charge your meals to the room and all lift tickets."

"Thank you so much...I don't know what to say. This is above any generosity I deserve." Rachel feels humbled by these people.

"No...thank you...you're our back up plan, so don't feel like we are doing you a favor. You are doing us a favor, so thanks again."

The next morning, Rachel is fully dressed in her cute ski clothes (pink jacket, black ski pants) and grabs her ski gear to head out the door. She meets the Golders for breakfast and asks them if she should take the kids to ski school. They told her no; to go enjoy the day.

She puts on her helmet, goggles and gloves, buckles her boots and grabs her skis to head to the gondola that carries her to the top. As she walks up to the gondola, she notices that there is only one other person getting ready to go up. He is really tall and carrying a snowboard. She puts her skis in the place outside the gondola and he gets in after her. He is sitting across from her and has is helmet and goggles on as well. His face is hidden by a face mask that goes from his nose down and the print is in a design of a skull, nose to jaw. He is wearing a blue plaid long jacket and black board pants. She feels a little uneasy to be alone in this gondola with him so she tries not look his way. He has a dangerous look about him and this is a really long gondola ride. He could attack her and she would be helpless.

"Do you have a mask for your face?" He asks her. "The wind up top will chap your face and lips."

"Oh, I do, it's in my pocket, but I don't like wearing it unless I have to. It always fogs up my goggles." She kind of laughs nervously and twists her hands around the poles.

"You'll have to, and breathe only though your nose to avoid the fog" he replies. As the gondola reaches the top and the doors open, he gets out first and takes his board from the outside nook as well as her skis and hands them to her. "Have fun!" he tells her, nods and walks away.

She stands there looking after him for a minute as more gondola cars arrive and many more people start pouring out. After walking outside, she realizes that he is right. The wind is stronger up here and she takes out her face mask and fastens it to the back of her neck. It's black with a design of big red lips right where her own lips would be.

As she walks outside she notices the blue run on which she wants to ski. She puts down her skis, snaps her boots into them and slowly makes her way to beginning of the slope. She notices the snow boarders braking against the mountain with their boards and waits until the majority have gone ahead of her to begin. This blue is really steep and all the snow has moved in piles on some spots and has bare ice patches in others. She decides to go for it and just goes down the slope. She picks up a lot of speed and feels great doing her perfect "s" turns planting her poles with perfect timing. She is completely lost in the feel of going down the slope until she hits a huge patch of ice and loses control of her skis. She sees the guy she rode with ahead stopped on his board with his back to her...she is heading straight for him.

"Sorry! Watch out!" she yells. He turns around on his board just in time to see her plow into him landing him on his ass (ouch) with her facing him, stretched on top of him, her skis snapping off her boots, and sliding down the slope a few feet away on their own. The poles are gone too.

"You know, if you wanted to get me horizontal so you can lay on top of me, all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to resort to this," his voice sounding amused.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. I hit a really large ice patch back up there and lost control. I haven't skied yet this year. Are you ok?" She asks while she quickly gets off of him and starts wiping the snow off her suit. He flips himself around, unbuckles his board off his boots and places it upside down on the snow.

"I'm fine, but I may need a butt massage tonight after landing on it so hard. Want to volunteer?" He hears her scoff, and he starts walking toward her skis, collecting both of them while she locates her poles, and they meet back where his board is.

"You know, maybe you need to stick to the bunny slopes..." he begins and starts sitting on the snow again to buckle his boots back onto his board when she effectively interrupts him.

"What? I don't need to be on the bunny slope. I have been skiing for 15 years!""I would not have fallen today if you SNOWBOARDERS didn't scrape all the packed snow off the slope and exposed the ice. So maybe you guys need to stick to the bunny slopes if you have to brake and scrape your way down the steep parts, huh?"

"If you'd let me finish, I was going to say to stick to the bunny slopes for a run your first time out each season to get your ski legs back!" He pauses taking in what she just said and looks back up to her. "So you lose control and it's our fault?" He has lost all amusement from his voice.

She stands up to her full 5'2" height and puts her hands on her hips, "Yes, totally your fault."

"You don't know what you are talking about. You sound like a idiot when you make comments like that. I'm not going to waste my time on the slopes today arguing with a crazy midget." He is mad now. He turns to go down the slope and stops quickly to turn around and yell back at her, "By the way, you're welcome for saving you from a face plant in the snow just now!"

She just then realized she never thanked him. "Sorry! Thank You!" she says apologetically.

"Yeah, whatever!" he says and takes off down the slope. She stands there watching him move and he looks really good. He is very good, but he is also a jerk. Did he seriously just say 'whatever' to her? Everyone knows that whatever is a non cussing way to tell someone 'fuck you.' Ok, maybe she shouldn't have said all that about snowboarders, but that's no excuse for being ugly to her. She just has to avoid him for the rest of the day, that's all.

F+R/F+R/

That evening Rachel is sitting with the Golders for dinner and has just told them all about her perfect ski day including her run in with "Bigfoot" as she now calls him. Mr. Golder, who snowboards himself, starts laughing as she relays the story.

"You actually told a snowboarder that it's their fault for ice on the slopes?" He can barely contain his laughter and she feels really stupid now. Mr. Golder continues, "Ok, Rachel, this is what I will do. I will go arrange for a private instructor to teach you snowboarding just so you can get an appreciation of how difficult it really is. Four hours should do it for starters."

"Well, fine. I'll show you guys. I pick up sports very quickly...I did with skiing, so I am sure I'll be just fine. How hard can it be?"

F+R/F+R/

The next morning Rachel is up early and getting ready for her lesson. It doesn't start until 10 AM so she takes her time with her bath, make up, and sunscreen routine. She puts her white ski pants and her black jacket because it's longer and she knows she'll probably be sitting on the snow a lot. She picks up her gloves, looks at her hair in the mirror (down in luscious curls) so she decides to wait and put her helmet on last. After picking up her snowboard and putting the boots on, she walks out to the building to where the ski school meets and sees a sea of blue instructor jackets. She doesn't really know who her instructor is, so she goes up to a lady with a clipboard and asks.

"Hi! I have a private lesson booked for today. My name is Rachel Berry." The lady looks at the clipboard and tells her, "Oh, you're with Finn. He is right over there by the private lesson flag." As she walks toward the flag she sees two girls and two guys with their backs to her wearing the blue instructor jackets. She walks up to them with uncertainty and says, "Hi, I am Rachel, I have a lesson with Finn." The dark haired guy with the messy hair turns around and she is speechless. This guy is the best looking guy she has ever seen in real life. No wonder the girls were looking at him with googly eyes. Please let it be him, please let it be him, she chants to herself, and not the other guy that looks like he is a member of Duck Dynasty. The good looking guy gets this smirk on his face, sticks his hand out to shake hers and says, "Hey, I'm Finn, and I'll be at your beck and call for the next four hours. I hope you had a big breakfast 'cause you are gonna need the energy. Are you ready?"

"Yep," says Rachel breathlessly. How is she supposed to take lessons from him when she feels lightheaded every time she looks at him? Once he puts his helmet and goggles on, she won't have to look at his eyes, so that will help. With shaky hands she puts on her helmet and goggles and picks up the board to follow him.

They have been working on the basics of sliding with one boot attached and have just started on going down with both feet buckled when this became really hard. She can't even stand up without taking off like a bullet, and then falling on her ass, even in these beginner slopes. She stopped counting at how many time she has fallen when she hit 62.

"Ok, now that you have gotten the feel of standing up, if you turn yourself to face down the mountain and get on your heel edge, you can use it as a brake if you feel you are going too fast."

"Ok," she says and nods her head. She is completely exhausted and it's only been one hour. After 5 unsuccessful tries, Finn got her up holding her hands and turned her while he walked to show her how it is done. She giggles and tells him "It's like we are slow dancing!" He smiles back at her and her heart melts some more. It took her one hour and 80 tries later to get this down and begin to zig zag across the slope.

"Now, you have to learn how to turn on your heel edge and on your toe edge. Then you will link your turns to go down the slope. This is important for you to learn for two reasons. One, and most important, you will look cool really cool, and two, this way you don't have to ride down the slope on your heel edge when it's steep cause it really pisses off the skiers when you scrape the snow off the slopes and expose the ice patches." He looks at her and breaks into a laugh.

"Oh my God! Bigfoot, is that you! That was you yesterday? I should have known...your height. I'm so embarrassed!"

"Bigfoot? You really know how to cut a guy off at the knees."

"At least then we would be the same height! Why didn't you say something earlier?" she says jokingly.

"Honestly, I thought you'd want to swap instructors and Puck has a 13 year old know-it-all today." Finn tells her sheepishly.

"Puck? Is that the Duck Dynasty guy?" Rachel looks at him with a smile on her face.

"Ah, the beard. Yes, that's him!" Finn pauses for a minute. "Are your arms tired? You know normally two hours on the first day is enough. It wipes you out, so doing four is really ambitious. So... do you want to break for lunch? We can eat at the lodge."

"Yes, my arms are killing me. I would love a break."

They take off their boards and prop them on the rack outside the lodge and go into the main cafeteria area. Rachel goes to the salad line and Finn goes to the main line for pizza and they meet at the table.

"Are you normally allowed to eat with your students?" she asks him.

"When I teach the kids in ski school, we have a specific time to eat and we stay with them to monitor. But with private lessons, I am at your beck and call. We can do whatever you want." He looks at her suggestively. "But you got me for four hours, so lunch is cutting into your instruction time. So... tell me what brings you to Vermont?"

She looks at him and puts her fork down and starts, "Well, I am a nanny for this great family, and they brought me here to watch their kids...so kind of a free vacation."

"Wow! So how come you are not, you know, watching the kids?" he asks between chews.

"The kids are in ski school all day, and the parents want to spend the time with them after their lessons. I am only here in case one gets sick and to also watch them on Wednesday night and Saturday night. I'm kind of 'on call'." When she is done explaining, she asks him, "So what about you? Do you live here?"

He quickly wipes his mouth with a napkin and Rachel has never wished so much to be a napkin before as she watches his lips move. "Not anymore. I come here on breaks from work now, but I grew up here and as long as I teach once in a while, I get free season's passes, so here I am."

"Where do you live?" She asks him.

"New York City," he says. "I always wanted to be a New York cop and now I am, although I'm kind of at the bottom of the barrel right now, but I hope to work my way up."

"Really? That's where I live, I live in Brooklyn. I go to school at NYU and I major in music education. I want to teach music."

Finn seems to be changing the subject fast at this point. He doesn't seem excited to know they live so close to each other. "So, do you like what you've done so far, I mean with the board?"

She finishes chewing and replies, "Well, let's just say I have gained a new appreciation of how difficult it is and how much I suck at it. But, I do love the fact that the boots are more comfortable and the board is lighter than skis."

"No you don't suck, really. You are picking it up really fast...it takes a long time to learn to do it, but once it clicks, that's it, you got it," after a pause he asks her "Ok, are you ready to get back out there?"

Rachel nods and is thinking he probably has a girlfriend back in the city, but why would he have made those suggestive comments on the slope when she fell on top him yesterday?

They spend the last hour of the lesson trying to learn the heel turns and toe turns. It proved impossible for Rachel to learn and when she noticed their time was up, she spoke up. "Hey, you know our time is up...thanks for the coaching...I just wish I were a better student for you." She gave him the most glorious smile she could muster and while shaking his hand said, "I am sorry for taking it out on you and snowboarding yesterday...really. I was being bitchy and you were right to tell me off. I was pissed cause I fell and in such an undignified way, yard sale and all that. Sorry."

He smiled at her, "Hey, look, since you lost about an hour of instruction during lunch, how about I go turn in my jacket, and put on my regular one and come out here and finish your lesson. I've got nothing else to do. I feel like I cheated you out of your time. What do you think? You really are on the cusp of getting it. I can feel it."

"Are you sure? You don't have to do that."

"Yep, I'm sure."

After swapping jackets, he returns wearing the jacket he had on yesterday. As they were walking closer to the bunny slope lift, she asked, "When did you figure out I was the crazy girl from yesterday?"

He smiles at her and says, "As soon, as I saw you." Rachel pauses her questioning until they got into position for the chair lift, she on his right side, and continues once they were seated and slowly made their way suspended in the air, their legs dangling. The day was sunny and warmer today so she pushed her goggles to the top of her helmet imitating his.

"How? You didn't see my face yesterday."

"Yeah, I did. At least I saw half of it on the gondola." He turned his head to look at her and their shoulders were brushing against one another. Her heartbeat increased its pace as he said, "You have memorable lips, that's why I didn't want them to chap."

"Oh," she replied with a small smile. She wanted to kiss him so badly that before her brain could stop her, her mouth said, "They are a little dry right now. Do you have something to moisten them with?"

He turned a little in his seat, his face serious, and bent his head around, his lips about four inches away from hers and whispered, "Yeah, I think I can come up with something." And with that their lips touched and she felt her body infuse with unbelievable heat. She reached up her gloved hand and put it on his helmet to keep him there for fear he would lift up his head ending the kiss. She parted her lips inviting his tongue in and her brain exploded as their tongues entwined and played with each other.

"Heads up, Hudson!" a voice came out of nowhere and it was a good thing too. They were almost at the end of the lift and needed to prepare to come off. "Ok, just remember to lean forward. Close your eyes if you can; it will help. I'll hold your arm in case you are about to fall, ok?" he tells her and as they are about to get off the lift, he holds her arm at the wrist. Quickly they get off the lift without Rachel falling, and she is ecstatic!

"I did it! My first time getting of this lift today without busting my butt!"

They get back on the slope and Rachel practices her toe and heel edges but she can't get them. She really tries to stick her stomach out like someone is pulling on her belt as he said, but nothing works. Finally, Finn tells her, "Look, I'm going to try to show you in a way that is a little different, ok? But it's also scarier. Do you trust me?" Rachel nods her head.

"Ok, now unbuckle your board." She does as she is told and he takes her board and straps it though the backpack he is carrying. He gets on his heel edge against the slope and tells her, "Ok, you need to feel for yourself how to move your body to make the turns, so you will put your feet on my board unbuckled and ride my board with me. But, if you don't relax your body, we are going down...hard, so don't fight it. Just move your body as I move mine. Pretend you are spaghetti and just be limp in front of me. You'll see how you are supposed to move."

"I'm scared," she says biting her lip.

"As long as you do what I say you'll be fine. I promise."

"Ok." She takes a big breath and lets it out and climbs on the board her back pressed against his front.

"Now I'm going to start just close your eyes and relax against me and feel the way my body is shifting as we turn."

Rachel is too busy being enthralled with being this close to him. He has one of his arms around the front of the waist, his palm pressing on her belly. She's embarrassed that he will be able to feel her heartbeat is going a mile a minute, but hopes her jacket has created enough buffer to prevent this from happening. He begins moving the board and she slowly releases her breath closing her eyes. He shifts slightly backward like he is about to take a seat but then quickly straightens out then he shifts his hips forward and they turn again. She lets her body go almost boneless and gets lost in the sensation of his body, the wind whipping, and the scent of his cologne swirling around her head. This feels thrilling and intoxicating. She can hear his voice close to her ear in soothing tones, "Good, good, relax. Feel how I move when I am on the toe edge and then on the heel edge now. Stay relaxed but open your eyes, we are almost to the bottom."

Reaching the bottom, Finn sees his friend Puck coming by and stopping where they stopped by the lift. He starts grinning and looks at Finn, "Is that a new teaching technique you use with all your students, Hudson?"

Finn rolls his eyes at him and pops him on the shoulder. "Shut up! She need to feel it, ok? She couldn't get it any other way!"

Puck sort of coughs/chuckles and looks at Rachel. "So...did you feel _it_?" and starts laughing when Finn punches him hard on the shoulder.

"Asshole! Go away, ok?"

They spend the next hour with her practicing, and even though she hadn't gotten it all the way right, she was doing very well. Hesitating but knowing she can't keep him here forever she looks up at him and says, "Well, I better go in. My arms and legs are screaming at me. Thanks for spending so much time with me. I know you probably could have done your thing for the rest of the day."

"No, I had fun. I was waiting to see when your body would tire out. Usually on the first day it happens after a couple of hours. You're in good shape." He looks her in the eyes and licks his lips.

"Thanks, so I guess I'll go. It was nice meeting you." She makes a small straight line smile and looks at the ground shyly. The moment she picks up her board and turns to go, he grabs her hand by the wrist to stop her.

"Hey, since it's Tuesday and you don't have to watch the kids, I was thinking I could take you to a fondue place that just opened. Do you like fondue?"

She gives him a beaming smile and says, "I love fondue and haven't had it since I was in Switzerland on vacation with my dads when I was much, much younger. Thank you, I'd love to go."

"Good, I'll come and get you at 7:00 p.m. ok? What room are you in?"

"5-118. So how should I dress?" He nods at her and responds with, "It's a ski town, very, very casual.

"Ok," She turns and calls out, "I'll see you then! 7:00 pm; don't forget me!"

He smiles at her and waves as she enters the Lodge.

Rachel is wiped out, she can barely raise her arms. The muscles in her chest are excruciatingly painful. But as she returns to her room to check on the Golders, she looks forward to this evening with nervous anticipation. She'll take a long, hot soak in the tub for her muscles and get ready leisurely for her date with Finn. While the water is running, she looks at herself in the mirror, touches her lips lightly, closes her eyes and tries to recall every moment of the kiss they shared. Lowering herself into the tub, she closes her eyes and lets her mind wonder how far things will go tonight. She has never had sex on the first date before (or second , or third, or fourth for that matter), but she's also never wanted anyone so much before either.

F+R/F+R/

Finn is looking at his watch to see if it's time to go get Rachel. There's just something about her that he is so drawn to so even though his brain is screaming at him not to go on this date, his body is completely ignoring the warning signals going off in his head. He came home to snowboard and visit his family for Christmas and now he can't take his mind off of this girl. He just has to take her out, even if it's only for one time. He knows he will not carry this relationship to New York. What are the chances that he would meet someone here and they live in the same place as him? Some would call it fate, but he knows the truth. Coincidence! He can't be in long term relationships. Dating women long term has a way of taking something beautiful and turning it into something ugly. He knows from past experiences that all relationships are basically one sided. One person wants too much and the other not enough. Apparently, he is the one that doesn't feel enough. When girls start to feel like you don't love them as much as they love you, they become crazy, jealous, alien beings no one can understand. It's too much fucking work for him and he is not doing it. He will make this clear to Rachel after tonight's date. He is not a repeat offender. Sometimes he wonders if he has it in him to really be in love. He cared about the girls he dated before, but when the relationships ended, it didn't really affect him that much. That's when he discovered that there must be something broken in him that he doesn't feel that way about anyone. No one has ever been able to break his heart. That's not normal, is it? He is 23 years old, he should have had some girl trample over his heart by now, but nope. Nothing. He looks at this watch one more time, and gets off his bed to go to the car. Why is he so nervous?

Rachel decided to go casual-ish. She put on a cashmere beige sweater, with black skinny jeans and black stylish Ugg boots (not the ugly ones she uses on a daily basis) to keep her feet warm. It's going to be -5 degrees tonight so she'll wear her red, wool peacoat. She looks at the clock. It is 7:00. Where is he? God, what if he changed his mind? Just then there is a knock at the door. She looks out the peephole and sees Finn. He is looking down the hallway. She blows out a long breath to calm her nerves as she unlocks the deadbolt. As she opens the door, he takes one look at her, smiles and hands her a white tulip. "You look beautiful!" he says taking in her luxurious long, wavy hair and perfect makeup. Her lips are a shocking red and very shiny. They remind him of a shiny red apple and he wants to bite them.

She looks at him and takes in his black jeans and white sweater with a black leather jacket and smiles, "Thank you! You look great, too." She takes the flower in the back gets a water glass and fills it with water to use as a vase for the tulip. She looks over her shoulder at him and says, "Tulips are my favorite flower!"

He glances nervously at her and says, "Ok, ready to go?" She nods and he takes her hand in his after they close the door to walk down the hallway.

The restaurant is a small cozy place with chunky wood tables and ultra low lighting. Rachel orders the cheese fondue, and Finn orders the chicken along with some wine. He looks a little alarmed and blurts out, "You are old enough to drink aren't you?" She laughs at his panicked face and says, "Yes..." and then whispers, "barely. I had my 21st birthday last week."

"Phew...good. I wouldn't want to break any laws on my first year on the force."

"So how old are you?"

Finn looks at her, "23...last month."

Rachel looks at him and asks, "So do you like been a police officer in New York? Is it everything you imagined?"

"Yes, I like it and it is exactly as I expected. Some days have your heart pumping fast and others are kind of boring."

Their food arrives and it is absolutely fantastic. The chef (although you actually cook the food yourself) came to their table to greet them and make sure everything was in order. He spoke about being from Switzerland and about how he started the restaurant and then thanked them for coming and walked to another table.

After taking a few bites off her french bread dipped in the melted cheese, Rachel noticed that Finn's chicken was still in the broth cooking. She dipped another piece of bread into the cheese, took it out slowly, blew on it to cool it and held it out for him to taste. "Here, have some. I feel guilty eating while you are still waiting for yours." He opens his mouth and she slowly places the bread and cheese on his tongue. It's like her eyes are looking through binoculars and all she can see for a split moment is his tongue swirling around the cheese. She quickly looks back at her fondue pot and wonders if she is becoming a nymphomaniac. Everything about this guy reminds her of sex. His lips (of kissing), his eyes (of lustful looks), now his tongue (of...well, you know), his hands which she just saw when he picked her up from the room (she imagined them squeezing her butt). Prior to this she never understood why women would just meet someone and sleep with them, but now she does. She is very, very tempted to do just that.

He notices her abrupt change and grabs her hand, "Is anything wrong?"

She raises her eyes to meet his, and shakes her head no.

They eat their dinner and speak about his life in New York and hers at college. She will be graduating this spring and looking for a music job somewhere in the city.

Once they finish, he puts her back in the car and takes her back to her hotel. He walks her to her door and says, "Thank you, I had fun tonight."

She smiles at him and says, "Me too! One of the best dates ever! Would… you... like to come in? I have a bottle of wine that my boss gave me from their suite and since I don't drink alone, I haven't opened it yet."

He doesn't respond for a second and she bites her lips into a line and says, "Oh, you don't want to come in. I guess you want to go home." She is feeling so embarrassed now.

"No, I don't want to go home. But I think I should."

Her glance conveys all of her longing and vulnerability and her, "Why?" is enough to bring him to his knees.

"You know why. I like you...I don't want you to end up hating me, and I think that if I walk in there tonight, within a week you'll hate me." After a short pause he continues, "I don't do well in relationships; it always turns bad because I don't have the ability to feel strongly about any woman I date. I date them, I sleep with them, they fall for me, I leave, then they hate me. It's like the Groundhog Day of relationships. So, as much I would love to stay and get down and dirty with you, I don't think it's a good idea."

"We can't have this conversation out here. Come inside; I have no expectations and you can leave anytime you want. AND I promise you that if anything happens tonight, it won't be initiated by me."

Walking into the room, he is absolutely sure that in about 15 minutes he will be walking back out.

After placing her purse on the dresser and removing her coat, Rachel turns to him and asks, "So you haven't been in a long term relationship?"

"I didn't say that. I have been, I just don't feel that strongly about any of the girls I dated. And it's not some kind of defense mechanism to protect myself due to some long ago painful experience or anything. I liked the girls, but frankly, once the relationship was over, I didn't even miss them. Something in me is lacking that whatever it is that makes you fall in love, and the girls fall in love, get angry when it is not returned, so , yeah, it's just easier to not start something up.

"Wow! You are so full of yourself," is her playful response. "Do you think that every woman who sleeps with you falls in love you?"

He looks at her and answers earnestly, "Yeah, I do. And I am not being conceited or anything like that. It just always happens."

"Well, here is my philosophy...I would rather take a chance and get hurt, than just be afraid to take the chance. Sure I may get my feelings hurt, but what if the next guy turns out to be "the one?"

Finn looks uncomfortably away from her and takes in the room. It has a king size bed, a small couch, and curtains at the opposite side of the wall from the bed. "Nice," he says while nodding his head.

She walks past him where the drapes are, pulls the cord, and they open to reveal a glass wall floor-to-ceiling. His eyes open in surprise, and she says, "If you stand right up against the wall, it feels like you are outside, almost suspended in the air." She shows how to stand up close to the wall, her nose touching the glass and he smiles.

She beckons him closer with her index finger and as he walks toward the glass, she slowly backs away. He looks perplexed at her behavior and she explains, "I am keeping a five foot distance, you know, keeping my promise." He laughs and walks to the glass and gets close enough for his nose to touch.

"You're right! A beautiful view. Now you see why I come home so often."

Still standing five feet away from him Rachel decides she will just change the subject to keep things light, so she asks, "Tell me what you absolutely love and what you absolutely hate about your job."

His face scrunches like he is considering it and finally his eyes pop open wide. "Ok, I love having to put someone under arrest because I am putting a criminal away, but I also hate it because I have to pat them down to check for weapons."

"I always wondered what that would feel like. Do people cry? I think I would cry."

"Only some of the teens." His eyes lock into hers as he slowly closes the distance between them. "Want me to show you what it sort of feels like?" As he whispers, she feels his breath against her ear and gets tingles and goosebumps all over her body.

She grins, bites her lips, and nods her head. Finn grabs her a little forcefully, presses the front of her body up against the glass wall so much so that she has to turn her head to the side. She gasps and holds her breath for a minute. He then uses his right leg the spread her legs apart. He leans the front of his body up against her back and pins her arms up above her head stretched out in a V. He uses his body as leverage to stop her movements and begins sliding his hands down her arms from her wrists. He starts whispering in her ear.

"You have the right to remain silent." His hands slide to her shoulders and down under her underarms.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." His hands slide down the sides of her upper body his fingers grazing the swell of her breasts. Her knees feel trembly with desire. Her breathing and heart rate are increasing and the wetness pools into her panties. She can feel that he is breathing faster too.

"You have the right to legal council." His hands lower from the sides of her chest slowly and he squeezes his hands between the glass and her body just under her breasts and he slides them down, his palms with fingers spread: one under her breasts, the other over her abdomen. His middle finger stops just short of her pubic bone. Rachel instinctively wants his hand lower, and tilts her hips forward trying to coax his hands to go between her legs, but his hands start moving back to the sides by her hips.

"If you can not afford an attorney, one will be provided for you free of charge."

His hands are now moving from her hips to her ass as he runs his hands over her butt cheeks. Her breath hitches and she holds it. He begins moving his hands from her ass to her thighs circling each thigh with both of his hands, his index finger grazing her crotch, feeling the heat radiating from it, and moving slowly down to her knee and then calf.

"Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?" He repeats what he did to the right leg but now to the left leg. When he is done, he turns her around while he is still on his knees in front of her and hugs her around her waist while resting his head on her abdomen. She feels like goo, and slowly lets herself lower to her knees, grabs his face and kisses him on the mouth with her lips already parted. He buries his hand in her hair at the back of her head to keep her in place and kisses her so hard she is sure her lips will bruise. The feeling is like nothing she ever experienced before and so she swirls her tongue around his for a long while until they have to stop to get more air.

"Wow!" she pants, "I really need to get arrested, cause it's so hot! Do you always arrest criminals that way?"

He looks at her trying to calm his breath and pants back, "Not quite like that!" He stands up then picks her up, and goes to the end of the bed and sits with her on his lap. "I don't think I can continue doing this and then stop, so if you don't want this tell me now so we can slow down." She turns in his lap and throws one leg over to completely straddle him and tells him, "You have no idea how much I want this." He leans forward then and attacks her lips with his and they kiss passionately for a few more minutes moving their lips from each other's mouths to necks to cheeks and back to lips. Rachel has to touch him so she starts sliding his jacket off his shoulders then places her hands under his shirt and moves her fingertips lightly over his stomach and abdomen to his side low on his hip and feels him flinch. She breaks the kiss and moves her lips to his jaw and whispers against his skin as she is putting light kisses there, "Mmm, you're ticklish."

"I bet I'll find some real ticklish spots on you soon enough." He slowly lowers himself onto his back on the bed, his legs still dangling at the foot of the bed and pulls Rachel with him, her chest resting on his. His hands slowly creep from her upper back to her waist and he runs his hands under her shirt. Finally, he bunches the shirt into his fists and pulls over over her head, leaving her top clad only in her bra. She pulls on his sweater to get it over his head, and he sits up to allow her to do it. Her arms raise and she feels the soreness from today's boarding in her chest and shoulders. He helps her with it and she then grimaces when she tries to bend her arms back to undo her bra. He smiles at her and reaches back to undo the bra himself and pulls it off her arms by the straps. He lays back down taking her with him to lie on top of him bare chest to bare chest. He kisses her again while his hands are spread on the sides of her torso thumbs grazing the swell of her breasts. Rachel raises her body slightly to give him access to her nipples and he brushes his thumbs over them. She moans in response and can feel him getting harder under his jeans. She moves her lips to his neck and slowly works her way to his chest putting opens mouth kisses all around his pecs. She can hear his breathing become ragged and slowly rolls her hips over his bulging jeans. She sits up and his hands to go her breasts and cup them. He begins kneading them slowly and squints his eyes slightly in lust. He comes up to a sitting position and bends her back enough so he can place a kiss in the valley between her breasts. Her hands instinctively go to his head and she threads her fingers in his hair. He moves his lips slowly toward her nipple, taking it in his mouth. He rolls his tongue over her nipple and lightly bites with her teeth then soothes it again with his tongue. She squeezes her legs around his waist, as he moves to the other breast while she makes all kinds of moaning and gasping sounds. She quickly picks his head up off her chest and attacks his lips with hers their tongues lashing at each other quickly and passionately. She puts her hands on his shoulders and moves herself so she can stand up. She pulls him to a standing position as well and quickly works on his belt buckle to remove his pants. She pushes his pants and boxers down and while he is busy kicking them off along with toeing off his shoes she is kicking off her boots while his hands are unsnapping and unzipping her jeans. She pushes her jeans and underwear off and they stand in front of each other completely naked looking at each other's bodies. He grabs her to kiss her again, and she can feel his erection fully on her abdomen.

She pulls away from him and tells him, "Turn around." He looks confused, panting and trying to control his breathing.

"What?"

"Do it." Rachel says rather forcefully. He turns around and she has a full few of his back and rear end and shoves him and he falls on his hands on the bed.

"Whoa, easy with the pushing!" His voice holds a level of uncertainty.

"Are you complaining, because I'm volunteering for that butt massage that you mentioned you needed," she says lustfully. He looks at her behind him and smiles and lays down on his stomach his arms folded under this head.

She straddles the back of his legs to get in a good position and begins running her fingers up his thighs lightly. He flinches and she knows now he is ticklish everywhere. As her hands move to lightly run over his ass, she notices that at the top by his butt crack is a huge reddish/purplish bruise. She realizes then that it happened when she plowed into him yesterday. She bends over and places a kiss right over the bruise and he pushes himself on his elbows and looks back at her.

"Ummm…What are you doing?" He looks at her with a weird smile on his face.

"Kissing the boo boo! I'm responsible for it, right?"

He looks at her and nods and then puts his arms back down and lays his head over them. Rachel begins massaging his ass he closes his eyes against the blissful sensations her hands are giving him. His erection is growing to explosive porportions, so after a few minutes of that he turns his body and she is straddling his lap. He sits up and slides to the top of the bed, beckoning her to follow him. She follows him and straddles him again her crotch pressing against his, her wet folds wetting his balls. He puts his hands on her back and kisses her again hard while he moves his hands down to her ass. He cups and squeezes her ass cheeks and she moans in pleasure.

"Mmmmm, your hands feel so good." She grinds her center to his erection.

While still holding her ass he pushes on it to guide her higher toward his chest. She moves higher and he is still moving her higher up his chest. She realizes where he is going with his, and her juices begin flowing hotter. She moves higher still until her knees are on either side of his head and she is essentially sitting on his face. The view of her crotch over his head is enough to make her cum instantly. He swipes her folds with his tongue and she is immediately feeling intoxicated and lightheaded. He swirls the tip of his tongue lightly over her clitoris and she jerks in reaction. He smiles to himself and then begins eating her out like a starved man. His tongue is plunging into her and he lightly bites her folds. He places kisses at her entrance and begins plunging his tongue into her again. Rachel's head is exploding with feelings physical and emotional. Guys have gone down on her before, but it never felt like this. She is quickly climbing to that place where she is going to fall apart, so she grabs a hold of the headboard for support. He feels she is close, so he moves the tip of his tongue to her clitoris and begins flicking it quickly. "Holy shit!" she exclaims as Rachel squeezes her eyes shut and holds her breath as she convulses over his face and sees lights exploding behind her eyes. As she gulps air back into her lungs, she sits back and then she looks down, the smile on his face makes her smile back at him.

"Good, huh?" she asks her with pride. She is still speechless so she just nods her head. She slides back down his body, and finally is able to speak.

"You're not the only one with skills," she looks at him lustfully and moves down his body as she licks her lips. His grin disappears and is replaced by lust and anticipation as she leaves a trail of kisses from his nipple to his abdomen where his erection has been lying neglected for the past few minutes. She leaves it lying on his abdomen and goes between his legs and licks his balls lightly. She can hear a quick hiss coming from him and looks up. He has propped himself on his elbows so he can see her and she smiles at him. While looking at him, she sticks her tongue out and lightly runs it up the length of his erection and finally moves the tip of her tongue around the head of his member sucking it into her mouth and grips the base of his erection in her right hand. She looks up and his eyes are squeezed shut as he slowly drops his head back and she loses sight of his face. She continues to keep her eyes on his face and does the one thing that is unexpected so she can see the surprise on his face. She lowers her head and his erection completely disappears into her mouth the tip deep in her throat.

His head whips up and his eyes fly open and she hears, "Oh, fuck!" He lays back and moves his hands in her hair while bucking his hips up. She begins moving up and down on him and each time she goes down, she goes down all the way and moans lightly. After a few minutes of that, he pulls on her hair lightly and she looks up. He sits up and grabs her by the shoulders to bring her up and he kisses her deeply. He flips them over and she is now on her back with him settled between her legs. He leans up and over the end of the bed to find his wallet with the condom at the foot of the bed and quickly returns. He sits up on his knees and tears the condom packet and quickly places it on his his erection. He is rock hard and he wants to be inside her now. He settles again between her legs and begins kissing her again. She moves her legs to completely encircle his waist and moves her hands to his ass. He lets the tip slide up her folds to her clitoris and she responds by arching her back and tilting her hips. He slowly enters her and the both gasp at the sensation. He begins moving inside her and she begins meeting his thrusts with the tilting of her hips. She quickly flips them over she she is on top and she begins rolling her hips over him both moaning and gasping while doing so. He suddenly pulls out of her and slips her on her stomach raising her to her hands and knees and slams into her from behind holding on to her hips for leverage. Rachel moves one of her hands behind her to wrap around his thigh while he continues to drive into her hard.

"Yeah, yes, oh my God, that's it!" She feels like she has never felt before, completely engulfed, almost drowning in euphoria. As he continues to pound into her, he uses one hand to grab her hair and tug gently. He then bends over her almost resting his chest on her back, lets go of her hair, and moves his hand to rub her between the legs.

Almost immediately, an "Oh, Gooooooood," is heard from her and she is jerking her hips in orgasm, her hands giving out and her head falling on the bed while her ass is still in the air with Finn still pounding into her. He slows down and turns her while still inside her so she is on her back. He bends her legs so that her knees are near her chest and draped over his elbows as he begins pounding into her harder. He squints his eyes and bites his lips together into a line and grunts loudly as he finally shoots into the condom and falls on top of her. He lays on top of her for a few minutes both of them breathing deeply trying to regain their composure. His head is resting between her breasts and her legs come down and wrap around his mid back.

After a few minutes the chill in the room is settling on their cooling skin, and he shifts to stand next to the bed, he picks her up with one hand and pulls the blankets and sheets down with the other. He settles her down on the sheets and stands up again to go to the bathroom when he removes and disposes the condom. He returns and climbs into bed with her. She continues to watch him as she lays on her side and he turns to his side to face her.

"Wow! Good things do come in small packages," he says with a grin.

She closes her eyes with a smile and snuggles deeper into her pillow. She opens her eyes to look at him and he asks, "Do you want me to stay?"

"Do you want to stay?" she looks at him to see his reaction.

He raises his left arm and uses his index finger to trace an invisible line down her cheek and nods.

"Ok, then," she says, "Goodnight!" She leans over and gives him a kiss and flips around to settle her rear end into his abdomen spooning with him.

Finn doesn't know what the hell he is doing. He should have left, that's what he should have done, but his desire to be with her again, won out. He closes his eyes and wraps his arms around her bringing her closer. Hell, just one week of romance while he is here is short enough. Then they will each return to their normal lives and that will be the end of that.

In the morning, Rachel's arms are like lead. She can barely move them. She can still feel Finn spooned behind her and something else against her ass feels like lead too. The memory of last night comes back to her and she immediately feels herself getting wet, anticipation causing butterflies in her abdomen. She stirs by rubbing her ass into his morning erection and feels his arm tighten around her as he starts putting kisses on her back and moves his hand between her legs.

"Mmmm" he moans when he finds her wet and ready. While staying in their spooning position, he begins moving his hips forward and backward using his hand to place the tip of his penis to the entrance and rubbing it up and down her slit. She begins moving her hips silently with only a few gasps being heard in the silence of the room. He enters her in half slumber moving slowly in and out, both of them moving in slow lazy rhythm. Her hand reaches back under the sheet and grabs his ass urging him on, while his hand is between her legs playing with her. As his pace accelerates, so does his hand, and soon Rachel is riding another wave of orgasm her body convulsing against him with deep breaths and gasps. As he thrusts deeply and quickly into her, when he gets close he pulls out and she uses her hand to hold him up against her pussy as he moans through his orgasm, his cum spilling all over her thigh.

She turns and smiles at him and says, "Good morning! Thank you for the wake up call!" He kisses her on the lips and slowly uses his tongue to part her lips. She complies and after a short time he raises his head.

He looks at her and says, "I have a 10:00 lesson this morning but after that I'm free. Do you want to meet me after the lesson and we can go have some lunch? I know you have to watch the kids tonight."

"What about your "no relationships" thing?" curiously she looked back at him.

"You're here for a week. There's no reason why we can't enjoy it and then each of us go back to our lives in the city." He looks hopefully at her.

"Well, what if you fall in love with me?" She asks playfully.

"I won't...my brain doesn't know how to do that." he says matter-of-factly.

"Ok, what if I fall in love with you?" she looks at him seriously.

"Then you'll hate me next week."

Rachel looks at him and thinks that she already feels too much for him already. Should she chance spending more time with him? How could she say no. It's like her body craves him.

"Ok," she says.

"Yeah?" he says surprised. "I'll go to my house to get my gear for my lesson and what if I meet you here to change into my regular clothes around noon?"

"Sounds good." She smiles up to him.

He gives her a quick kiss and gets out of bed and swiftly puts on his clothes. After dressing, he bends and gives her another quick kiss and leaves with a 'see you later.'

After checking in with the Golders, Rachel had a great day going to the whirlpool down stairs and letting the jets massage her sore muscles.

By lunch time she was dressed, her make up and hair done, and waiting for Finn. He showed up at exactly 12:15 and after changing his clothes, they left to go to lunch.

He took her to a small Italian restaurant and they were driving trough a wooded area when they saw an animal about 30 feet off the road.

She pointed to it and said, "Look, is that a cow?"

He laughed and corrected her, "It's a moose."

"Oh, my God, stop the car! I have to so out and take a picture."

She gets out of the car and slowly walks to the clearing where the moose is, Finn following behind her.

"You know he can totally go after you, right?"

Rachel whispers back to him, "Yeah, but I'll have a picture of myself with a moose and not in a zoo or anything.

She slowly walks toward the moose while Finn takes out his phone. When she gets about five feet away from the moose, she signals him to take her picture. The way the moose is turned, he has a perfect shot of his antlers and Rachel's face is beaming.

They returned to the car and, after taking her to the Trapp Family Lodge for a visit, he returned her to the hotel.

He walked her to the front of the lodge, and after getting her phone number said, "I'll call you tomorrow." He leaned down and gave her a short kiss on the lips.

Wednesday evening lasted forever. With her arms hurting, watching the kids became a painful experience, but she also thinks it helped her muscles since they still hurt, but not as much. She is slowly moving from the elevator back to her room at midnight and as she rounds the corner, she sees Finn sitting on the floor next to her door his knees up his head resting back against the wall. His eyes are closed, and thinking he's asleep, she bends down to wake him.

"Hey," she says, quietly.

He opens his eyes and looks at her. He stands up looking uncomfortably from the floor to her eyes and back. She wordlessly moves her hand from his shoulder to his hand and pulls him into her room.

It's Saturday just past 11:00 and Rachel is walking to her room after finishing watching the kids. She knows by now that he will be waiting for her by her door. As she rounds the corner she sees him as he was Wednesday. They had a wonderful week together, his taking her to see local attractions and they even went out one night with his friends to a local hang out. She has never felt closer to anyone before in her life, and it's only been a week. Her heart is telling her that there is no way that he doesn't feel the same way, but the fear of losing him is getting stronger with each passing hour.

As if he felt her presence, he straightens his head and stands up as she approaches him.

"Hi," He greets her and bends his head to kiss her.

"Hi, yourself," she says and they go in the room as before to spend their last night together.

Once inside the room, Rachel tells him she needs to take a quick shower. She goes in the bathroom, gets undressed and gets under the soothing spray of the water. She knows from his face what he is here for and her heart clenches like there is a vice squeezing it and it could burst any moment. She begins to cry silently while she shampoos her hair. She feels the shower curtain pull and he steps inside the tub moving her hands out of the way.

"Here, let me do it." he says softly while his hands continue to work the lather in her hair. Looking at him hurts, so she closes her eyes and lets him massage her head. He stands in front of her and says, "See, this is how it starts."

"How what starts?" she tries to keep the trembling of her voice at bay.

"The hating me. It starts with crying in the shower or anywhere you can't be seen. Then there is denial, the hope that things will change. After that there is questioning like 'what's wrong with me, why can't he love me', then the hate sets in and every time you think of me you'll want me six feet under."

She looks up at him, "You're wrong. I could never hate you. I will never hate you. I know this is goodbye for you, ok? I know why you're here tonight. I went into this with my eyes wide open, so it's not your fault. I won't hate you! Because of you I know now what I want from the physical and emotional aspect of my relationships. That intensity and need that I never felt before. I have felt it now and I won't settle for anything less. OK, so it won't be you, but somewhere out there is a man that will love me, and will turn me into jelly with one touch, the same way you do. And I am thankful to you for making me see what I was missing in all my other relationships."

Finn is stunned! Her mentioning of another man giving her what she needs is doing funny things to his stomach. There is an anger toward her for even saying that she could find someone so easily. He should feel happy for her, shouldn't he? But he doesn't.

She rinses her hair and finishes washing her body and hands him the washcloth to wash her back.

"Let's just enjoy tonight and tomorrow we'll say goodbye. I just want you to know that I am doing this because it's what you want…not what I want."

He turns her then, kisses her and lowers his hands to her ass to cup her and lift her as she wraps her legs around his waist. He kisses her neck and slams her against the tile wall showing her that it won't be so easy to replace him. His erection is at her entrance and he plunges into her as she screams in his ear for more. He moves inside her for a long time and she has her arms wrapped around his head, alternating between kissing his mouth and his neck. His hands help grind her center against me and the friction has her finally falling over the edge. Her breathy gasps by his ear are so hot and needy he finally explodes inside her and and stands there against the shower wall gasping for breath. She slowly lets her legs to the ground and drops her forehead to his chest. The pensive moment passes and they finish washing each other.

F+R/F+R/F+R/

He did it! He really did it! Rachel is on the plane flying back to NYC. She is still stunned by Finn saying goodbye to her. She really thought he would not be able to walk away. She is so stupid! She feels so embarrassed now thinking back to her lack of dignity as they spoke their last words to each other.

_Finn is looking at her. He is dressed as is she. She looks at him and says, "Go ahead, say goodbye." He walks up to her and puts his arms around her and says, "Goodbye, Rachel." _

"_Do you want my address, just in case you change your mind?" she looks hopefully at him. _

_He shakes his head no. "I won't." She begins to cry in front of him and turns around and yells at him, "Go then, bye!"_

_He turns and walks out the door._

She won't allow herself to hate him...she won't...never. If only because it's what he expects.

It's been a month and she hasn't gotten over him yet. Santana wants to track him down and beat his ass, but frankly, he was honest and open about his intentions. Rachel is the one at fault. You know what they say, 'if you can't run with the big dogs, you better stay on the porch.' Boy did she learn the meaning of that expression. At least Santana's new friend is coming over tonight and they'll watch movies and hang out.

Kurt is a really nice guy, a little judgmental of her wardrobe the one time she met him two weeks ago, but still nice. Santana is not allowed to give details about Rachel's experience on vacation, but he knows that she got dumped in some way, so he is here to help her take her mind off things. The only memento from her trio is the picture of herself with the moose which she has put in a frame on the shelf in the living room.

F+R/F+R/

Finn is perplexed. Why can't he get this girl out of his head? When Puck comes to the apartment, now clean shaven since he started at the fire station two weeks ago, he plops on the couch and starts eating Finn's Doritos. Puck looks at him and asks, "So, you still thinking about the munchkin? Maybe you're in love with her!"

Finn looks like him like he is nuts and says, "I'm not in love with her...I'm, you know, in sex with her! When I think about her all I think about is sex with her. So that's not love. Right?"

"That's love to me! Besides that's primary all you guys did that week, so all your memories are sex related." Puck is thinking and his eyes widen. "I got it! Park your boner in another garage, and you'll stop being "in sex" with her. Replaced! Bingo!"

"You think?" Finn asks with uncertainty. Puck smiles and nods.

Two nights later Finn comes back from his date with some random girl. Puck and his brother are home since they all share an apartment. As he enters, Puck stands up and says, "Here comes the stud...did your boner find another garage?"

Finn shushes Puck, and looks over to Kurt. Kurt knows nothing about Vermont and his sexcapades there.

"Hey, Kurt, could you give us a minute?" Finn asks Kurt to leave the room.

"Why? What's going on?" Kurt is chewing on a carrot stick.

"You didn't tell him?" Finn shakes his head no. Puck turns his head to Kurt, "To make a long story short, Finn did his usual hit and run while he was at home only it was extended and lasted a week, and now he can't get this girl out of his head, penis head that is, because he is "in sex" with her. Tonight he went out with another girl so he could park his boner somewhere else." He turns toward Finn and asks, "So did it work?"

Finn stands up, Kurt is looking at him and Finn looks at both of them and shakes his head.

"No, not at all! _It _didn't work. My...stuff...wouldn't cooperate. My head was making comparisons and I had to just leave."

Puck dropped his chips and coughed half a mouthful all over the living room. He looked at Finn, "No shit? Seriously? Tell me, does _it_ work when you are in bed thinking of that little munchkin's legs wrapped around you up against the shower wall?"

Kurt makes a disgusted face, "Whoa! I don't want a mental image of that!"

Finn squints his eyes and looks at Puck disgustedly, "I don't know why I tell you things."

"Ok, I'm going to give it to you straight. Evidence you are in love with her. Exhibit A you are constantly thinking of her."

"Thinking of fucking her!" yells Finn!

"It counts. Exhibit B you haven't fucked anyone since, and CAN'T equals to (Exhibit C) your brain and your body only wants her."

"Exhibit D you keep looking at that stupid picture of her with the moose, no sex in that picture!"

Kurt sits up suddenly looks at Puck and says, "Hold up, what did you just say?"

Puck looks at Kurt and laughs, "He has this picture of her standing by a moose and keeps looking at it like THE LOVE SICK FUCKER HE IS!"

"Let me see!" Kurt sticks his hand out for Finn's phone. Finn finds the picture and hands it to him.

Kurt's hand flies to his mouth and he points an accusatory finger toward Finn. "You were screwing with Rachel during Christmas vacation?"

"Rachel, yeah. Wait, you _know_ her?"

"Finn, I met her a few weeks ago and the poor girl is really sad. Her room mate, you know, Santana the crazy Latina friend of mine, wants to cut your balls off, sautee' them in olive oil and onions and feed them to you."

Finn's hands instinctively fly to cover his crotch, while Puck grabs the phone from Kurt. "See her face here by this moose? What does it look like?" he asks Finn.

Finn smiles, "Yeah, I like that picture because she looks like a kid on Christmas morning."

"Yeah, she does. Remember when we went out that night with her to that bar for drinks and I took a picture of you guys?" Puck asks.

"I guess, I don't remember posing really."

"Here, look. When she looks at you? Same look. Notice anything else?" Puck shoves the picture in Finn's face.

"No." Finn looks at Puck and Puck pops him on the back of his head.

"You are so dense sometimes...look at your face while you are looking at her...same look. Kid on Christmas morning. Exhibit E. She's your moose! I rest my case."

Finn looks at Kurt and Puck and scratches his head. "So this obsessive feeling, this feeling of drowning and being in over your head, and wanting to be with only that person, and feeling connected to them in some way, and being terrified like you are about to jump off a tall building, that's being in love? Who would want to feel like that? It's scary!"

Kurt and Puck both shake their head yes. Puck says, "It's the beginning stages, like infatuation, but yeah. It could turn to full blown lasting love if you give it a chance. The most important thing is that you miss her. You never missed any of the others before."

Puck's right…he does miss her. It wasn't that he couldn't love, he just hadn't met the right girl. Finn gets a huge smile on his face and goes to the computer.

"Oh, Finn. Not to rush you or anything, but she had dates with two different guys this week, just saying!" Kurt says matter-of-factly.

F+R/F+R/

Rachel is sitting alone in her living room reading a book. She has gone out with two guys over this past week. Nothing not even a spark. Might as well be kissing a dog. But she really longs for that feeling again. That feeling of being swept away by a wave; it's thrilling and intoxicating like she had four glasses of wine or something.

The door bell rings and she goes to the door, but sees nothing in the peephole. She opens the door and there she finds a huge box. She looks around to see if there is anyone outside, but sees no one. Sometimes the delivery people just ring the door bell and leave. She grabs a corner and drags in into the apartment, looks at the label and sees that it is for her. Her parents must be sending her an early Valentine's Day present, she assumes. She goes into the kitchen gets a box cutter and slices the tape holding it shut. She tries to pull it out, but it is some kind of stuffed animal thing, it's butt sticking up. She pulls and tugs and it won't come out. She picks up the box turns it upside down and start jerking it in a way that the animal finally comes out and lands on the floor. This animal is almost as big as her. She picks itup and turns it around. It is a giant moose! She gasps and looks for a card. There is a card at the bottom of the box. She quickly reaches down for it and reads it:

_You're My Moose! _

That is all it says. She looks at it and texts her dad.

**Thank you!**

She waits for a response.

**You are welcome, but what for?**

She types back...

**Did you send me a stuffed animal?**

The response comes back:

**Sorry, honey. No we didn't.**

**Thanks!**

Her heart keeps pounding...Could it be Finn? Could he have missed her enough to want more?

She hears a doorbell again and when she looks out she sees a tall figure clad in a police uniform the head bent, face obscured by his hat. She opens the door and sees Finn with a big smile on his face. He has his arms up against the door frame and she stands in front of him but has not invited him in yet.

"You were right...I fell in love with you. You turned out to be my moose." he says shyly, afraid he'll be rejected, unsure.

She gets a huge smile on her face and jumps on him wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He starts walking into the apartment carrying her in his arms and kicks the door shut with his foot. Rachel stops kissing him suddenly and asks, "Wait, I'm like a moose, big, hairy and smelly?" Like Ricky Ricardo, Finn's "got lots of 'splaining to do." But later…much, much later.

**I had to find a way to incorporate the "moose" line and I am happy with the result. Fact: I saw a boyfriend and girlfriend on the slopes and he was teaching her by having her ride with him and I thought it was the sexiest thing ever, so I had to have Finn and Rachel do it. Thank you whoever you were! Next ****chapter in this will be Finchel in Texas!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Listen Very Carefully - Texas**

**In this Finn is active duty military and stationed in Texas. The idea was inspired by seeing him in his western get up in The Rhodes Not Taken...and because Texas is cool! When I was there last, they had the best road signs like "Drive Friendly, the Texas Way" and for littering, "Don't Mess With Texas."**

**I am not a great fan of country music, but the song that Finn sings is **_**Don't Close Your Eyes **_**by Keith Whitley (RIP); Rachel's song is **_**My Valentine**_** by Martina McBride. I heard the Keith Whitley song for the first time a few months ago, and I burst into tears with the longing I heard on the singer's voice. Thus, it inspired this story. I chose **_**My Valentine**_** for Rachel because it was the only country song that I knew her voice would be awesome doing. I am sure there are more, but I don't really listen to country that much.**

**Any mistakes here are mine ( and I am sure there are some).**

**The title of the chapter comes from what Rachel said to Finn right before she sang Get It Right.**

**I don't own Glee or any of its characters. **

F+R/F+R/

Back on Texas soil! It's been so long since he has been back home to live, his eyes are tearing up a bit looking over the landscape. He was commissioned as an officer in the Army four years ago, and then it was an assignment to Ft. Bragg, NC, then one year of deployment to Afghanistan and now, finally, back to Texas; to Ft. Hood...at least for the next two or three years. Although living near Ft. Hood would be easier, he wants to have some sort of social life that doesn't involve an army uniform, and that includes his relationships. Dating active duty girls has some serious disadvantages, so although he has done it, like at his deployment, he doesn't want to do that again. He is 26 and ready for a serious relationship. Hopefully, he'll find someone that has a little adventure in her blood, and wants to move with him to different places halfway around the world. So bottom line is that living at Ft. Hood is out. He is going to live on the northern outskirts of Austin and commute. In a rental car, he drives around this little suburb of Austin looking at apartments. Due to his frequent TDYs he needs a secure location, so his choices are narrowed down to gated community apartments. Once he is settled in, he'll go home and get his car from his mom's house. He has two choices of apartment communities, and decides on the one with the biggest pool and largest area of common grounds.

Two hours later, his lease has been signed. He has an upstairs unit, and already called to make arrangements for his things to be picked up from the Ft. Bragg storage to be transported by the movers here.

F+R/F+R/

Finally moved in! Of course the move was quick, most of his high school and college stuff is still at this mom's house so his apartment is a pretty sterile place with just the bare minimum needed to live comfortably. Standing on his balcony in the late afternoon on the Saturday before Memorial Day, he contemplates going to see his mom. She is expecting him on Sunday. Spying the pool in the far distance, he decides to go for a swim instead. After changing into his board shorts, he grabs his sunscreen and towel and decides to walk to the pool. It is a fairly large complex and he is at the farthest part of the community, so he'll have to cut across the common grounds to get to the pool. As he walks across the common area, he sees the pond with the landscaping which was the deciding factor of choosing this apartment complex over the other. The woods surrounding the complex makes it seem beautifully secluded. He also enjoys that they have included a trail running around the pond and around the community perimeter...it will be a great running trail since he needs to run everyday for work. It's such a great day, that he decides to sit on the grass for a while and enjoy this view and the quiet before he goes to the pool which probably is full of people...and noise. He has his towel draped around his neck his knees bent, his forearms resting on his knees. With his baseball cap on and his sunglasses he sits and takes in the view.

Suddenly he feels something scratch on his back and turns to see if it's a kid with a stick or something. What he sees is a white fur-ball that turns jumps on him and starts wedging its nose toward his face.

"Hi, Dude! Well you may be a dudette, let's check! " He holds him by his rib cage, looks under his belly (Dude for sure), his paws waving wildly, his tongue trying to reach his face, but Finn holds him just far enough away for the dog's tongue to lick the air in front of him.

"Don't put him down, please!" He hears someone far behind him and turns around to see a girl running with a leash in her hands. He stands up, holds the dog with one hand against his chest, and waves in acknowledgement to her. She slows down her pace then and just walks the rest of the way toward him. He watches her as she walks and likes what he sees. She is tiny but has long tanned legs showcased beautifully in jean cut-off shorts that are illegally short. Her tank top clings to her body and her hair is a high, messy ponytail which swings while she walks. Her face is beautiful with big brown eyes, and a lips that are lusciously full. She looks at him kind of shyly, which makes him even more attracted to her. She is breathing hard as she approaches him and the closer she gets to him the more his mind is going 'damn, she's hot.'

"Thank you for holding on to him. I just got him today and he darted out the door before I could restrain him. I think he'll be an escape artist when he grows up." After a nervous laugh she smiles up at him squinting because the sun is behind him and his face is invisible in the shadows on his hat. She reaches then and places the leash on him and proceeds to put the dog on the ground.

"No problem...what kind of dog is he? He must need a lot of care with all that hair."

"He is a Lhasa Apso, the runt apparently, and they were about to..." she draws a line across her neck with an index finger, "so we are now stuck with each other. Having a pet is not ideal when you live alone, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." She walks around to get the sun out of her eyes and he turns so that he is facing the sun and she is stunned to see how good looking he is. He has a strong jaw line, little freckles barely disernable on his nose and lips that make her want to kiss him. Her nervousness increases but she charges ahead, "I'm Rachel, and this is Ghost; NOT a name of my choosing! I'm considering changing it." She puts her hand out to shake his hand. He takes her hand in his and there is an instant spark between then. Her pupils do this funny thing that she has never experienced before...like stretching? It's hard to explain, but there definitely is a strong reaction to him. He holds her hand and introduces himself, "I'm Finn." He is thinking to himself, 'holy crap!' there is an attraction there that is really strong.

"Have you lived here long?" she asks curiously after she removes her hand from his. Suddenly aware of the length of her shorts, she puts her hands at her waistband and discretely pushes them lower to make them longer on her legs.

"Nope. Just moved in today. You?"

"I've been here a year. I like it a lot. It's really nice, but it has it's challenges too, you'll find out for yourself." She looks at him and feels like she is talking too much. "Well then, welcome to the neighborhood. Enjoy the pool."

"Thanks." He says as he watches her walk away. When she steps forward, the bottom of her butt cheek peeks shyly out of her shorts and his, you-know-what is jumping in his shorts. Why the hell didn't he engage her in conversation? What is he 16 again? His mind seemed to go blank looking at her. He kicks into action then, "If you have nothing to do, come to the pool! This way I won't feel like an idiot by myself."

She stops and turns around then, "I know who hangs out there…you're fresh meat...you won't alone for long!"

"Now you are scaring me! Come meet me! I may need protection!"

"I'll think about it!" she smiles and runs with the dog across the common area toward the units nearby. In his mind her running is in slow motion; her legs and peeking ass cheeks teasing him.

He continues on to the pool and as he walks in through the gate he realizes that this is definitely not a very family oriented community. There is a party atmosphere. There is a grill on in the corner, an employee waiting to cook food for people, guys and girls everywhere in the water; young guys and girls, his age. Skimpy bathing suits everywhere! Nice, he thinks to himself. He finds a chair and sits there and puts his towel on the on the lounge chair next to him. Just in case Rachel comes...she'll be forced to sit next to him. He notices a few of girls looking at him with leery grins and feels like a slab of meat in a butcher shop. Now he knows what Rachel is talking about. He stopped being worked up about girls finding him attractive a long time ago. He knows it's just superficial and becomes boring quickly. He wants someone to look at him with hearts in their eyes because of who he is, not because of what he looks like. He would be lying if he said that he has taken advantage of the fact that girls find him attractive in the past, but he wants something real now. When he was in high school he was uncomfortable about his body, but the years of army work outs have cured all that. He doesn't look like an underwear model or anything (and he doesn't want to), but there isn't very much fat on him like when he was in high school. He is lean and sinewy. He doesn't really do the work out to look good, it's just an added benefit to being in the army and having to pass the rigorous PT test every 6 months or so. He puts his sunscreen on and looks at the people around the pool. He wonders if it's always like this, or just because it's Memorial Day weekend.

He closes his eyes, his mind is lost in the vision of Rachel walking away with her short, short, shorts. He sits and dreams of himself on his knees behind her taking a little bite off of that spot of her butt cheek that was peeking at him earlier.

"Is this seat taken?" He opens his eyes and sees her smiling next to him.

He shakes his head, "I was saving it for you." He smiles and removes his towel for her to sit down. The beach cover up she is wearing is see-through and he can barely make out her body's outline through it. His mind is screaming, 'take it off! take it off!' She does. She has a beautiful body. She is small and compact and very fit. She looks self conscious as she takes the cover up off, so he looks at her and whispers, "You look gorgeous!"

She giggles, "Thank you! A little under developed up top, but adequate, I think!" She looks toward the leery girls across the pool sticking their big boobs out for all to see.

He leans over and puts his hand over his mouth by her ear and says, "They're perfect!"

"Really? You don't think their tiny?" she asks curiously? He shakes his head, no, and reminds her of a little kid when he asks, "Wanna go play in the water with me?"

She looks at him and says, "Your back is a little pink, you want me to put some sunscreen on it?" He grabs the sunscreen from the ground and hands it to her.

"Move your legs to the sides of your chair," he says to her. She effectively spreads her legs as she sits up and straddles the chair and he puts his legs on either side of her lounge and sits in front of her, his back to her. "Ok, go for it! You know, you can play it up if you want for those girls, maybe then they'll stop staring at us." She leans forward and says, "They are not staring at _us_. They are staring at _you_. I told you, you're fresh meat."

"You can do something, or anything, to make them stop...if you want to."

"I want to. Anything huh?" She puts the sunscreen on her hands and rubs it between her palms. She begins rubbing it slowly across his shoulders and down his biceps. His head is turned to the side as far as it would go looking at her behind him and he can feel the slight tremor of her hands. Her hands slowly work their way down his back all the way to his waistband. She is blushing and glad his sunglasses would not make him aware of it. She can't believe she is doing this, but she feels so at ease with him. She continues working the lotion into his skin, and leans over while his head is still turned toward her and tells him, "Ok, and now for the creme de la creme," she moves her legs to stand on her knees behind him, and moves her hands up to his shoulders and as she bends and presses the front on her body on his back, she moves her hands from his shoulders to the front of his chest rubbing the lotion over his pecs and lower over his stomach and abdomen. She then places a soft kiss on his cheek. She then whispers to him, "Is that good?" He nods to her and says, "Yep. Too good." She sits back down and says, "You ready to get in the water?"

He looks shyly at her and says, "Umm…I can't really stand up right now...if you know what I mean. So stand in front of me." She bites both of her lips and smiles. She still got it!

"Ok, I'll stand in front of you, do what you need to do to hide it."

She stands in front of him facing him, and he gets up and playfully hugs her and pushes her backward until they both hit the water with a splash.

"The water is cold and the problem is solved," he tells her and dunks her head under the water.

They play in the water like little kids and after a long while they get out. She takes her towel and wipes down her body while he stands in front of her with beads of water glistening on his chest like diamonds. She looks at him, her eyes looking at his chest, his breathing making his chest rise and fall and they fall almost into a sort of spell where neither one can move. She has the biggest urge to run her tongue across his chest licking all those water droplets off. 'Get your head out of the gutter, Rachel' she tells herself.

Breaking the spell, she looks to his face, "Ok, I'm going to go. Got a new dog at home that probably needs to pee. So, thank you for making the pool experience fun. It's usually pretty boring here watching the Barbies frolicking about. I usually just read."

"I'm leaving too. I'll walk you home."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!"

"I know I don't have to; I want to. Plus, I have an ulterior motive...I want to know where your apartment is."

"Alright," she says with a smile. He takes his towel, drapes it around his neck, and after she puts on her beach cover up they start walking out. He takes a sideways glance at the Barbies, and throws his arm over Rachel's shoulder."

The girls scoff and turn their head in disgust while he smiles.

As they walk to her apartment, she asks him, "So, did you move here for work?"

He takes his arms off her shoulders replies, "I'm a Captain in the army. I'm stationed at Ft. Hood."

"Oh, what does your job entail?" "

Well I am a transportation officer, and I also do some jumping out of airplanes. That one is pretty fun."

"Why are you staying practically an hour away? Isn't that a long commute to have on a daily basis?"

"It doesn't bother me. I didn't want to live so far from Austin, since it has more of a social scene than anything near the post."

She nods and her heart sinks. He is a player, she thinks to herself, he wants to stay here for the nightlife.

"Plus," he continues, "Here I am closer to home."

"Oh," she says quietly.

"What about you? What do you do?"

"I'm a music/history teacher. 8th grade."

"How can you do both?"

"1/2 the day I teach history and 1/2 the day music. I love it."

"Is it intimidating teaching kids who are taller than you?" he teases her.

She shoves him on his side with her elbow, "Shut up! Not all of them are taller than me."

They have reached her door and she takes his hand, gives it a light squeeze, and looks back at him. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Can I call you sometime?" he asks her nervously. Then, "Oh, crap! I left my phone in my apartment, and I won't be able to remember your number. Hold on, give me your phone!" She scrunches her eyebrows together in confusion and he continues, "so I can call myself using your phone, and I'll have your number on missed calls when I get home."

"Ok," she said and she disappears into her apartment and comes out a minute later. "Here."

He calls his phone and then hangs up and gives it back to her. "It was nice meeting you Rachel and thanks for saving me at the pool!"

She smiles and nods, "Don't mention it! You would have been fine at the pool by yourself...and would have had an overnight guest if I hadn't shown up." And promptly turns and walks away.

Rachel goes back into her apartment and gets the leash ready for Ghost, what a stupid name! She goes to the bathroom where she has newspapers on the floor and puppy pads and has put a gate in the doorway. She has been gone for almost two hours and he hasn't made a mess. They told her at the pound that he was housebroken, but she thought they were just saying that so she would adopt him. Maybe they were telling the truth!

"Come here, boy" she calls to him and she puts his leash on. She is not taking a chance of him running off anymore.

She takes him outside and walks him to the common area. She makes sure to clean up after him and has a tennis ball for him to play fetch with. As she runs and Ghost chases her, she sees a lone figure out on the trails running. There he is! She looks at him for a few seconds and then takes Ghost and walks back to her apartment.

F+R/F+R/

Rachel wakes up from a restless night at 7:00 in the morning. She walks by the hallway outside of her bedroom where the Jesse shrine is and says, "Morning Jesse!" and goes to the kitchen to make coffee. Her dreams were full of a certain tall guy wearing his military uniform doing all kinds of vile, dirty things to her. She should be exhausted, but she is full of nervous energy. She can't get him out of her head!

As coffee is brewing, her phone buzzes.

**-Hi Rachel! **

**-Hi!**

**-Know who this is?**

**-I think so.**

**-Got plans today?**

**-I had planned on having a threesome with the washer and dryer, but I could put it off.**

**-LOL! Wanna do something fun? What's fun to do around here?**

**-Well, I have two favorite spots; one is Quarry Lake and the second is a little town nearby. The Lake would probably very busy this weekend, so the town would probably be a better choice. I haven't been there in a long time and I would love to go. You'll love it... I think...Or we can go to the quarry...whatever you want to do.**

**-I'd like to visit your little town. What time should I pick you up?**

**-I'll pick you up. I want to bring Ghost (do you think I should keep his name?) and i don't want him in other peoples cars just in case he has an accident.**

**-OK. And no...don't keep that goofy name. My apartment is in building 216 #12. What time are you coming?**

**-Is 10 ok? What should I call him? I can't think of a name!**

**-10 is perfect. BTW...since he escaped from you, I would call him Houdini.**

**-Perfect name! I'll shorten it and call him Dini! Thank You!**

**-See you at 10:00**

**-K**

She is at his door at exactly 10:00. He opens the door with just his jeans on his hair still wet. "I just need to get a shirt." He opens the door for her to come in and disappears in his bedroom. She looks around and takes in the barren decor and says, "Do you always decorate you place like a hotel?"

She can hear him laughing in the bedroom and he is smiling when he comes out. "I have personal things at my mom's house, but I just came off of a deployment so I didn't have any stuff with me. I actually leave most things in boxes so they don't have to be packed again so soon. You get tired of packing an unpacking."

"I think that would be fun! You have a new place to decorate every so often, figure out where things go. It's exciting."

"Yeah, it is the first and second time maybe...but after a while it just a pain in the ass."

"Maybe I can help you put some personal touches in this place." she said excitedly.

"It has my personal touches...my personal couch, my personal coffee table, my personal t.v., see?"

She laughs, "Let's go before Dini eats my car."

She has a four door midsize car and she is so glad she just got this car six months ago...her old car was a Smart car...she laughs imagining him having to get in that!

"What's funny?"

"I was just thinking you're lucky I recently bought a new car. My old car was a Smart car."

"Yeah, you would have had to strap me on the hood."

They drive West on 290 from Austin and they discuss his various adventures in the military. She has all sorts of questions about his life. She even asks him about relationships and he tells her about the two serious ones that he has had.

"What about you? Have you had many serious relationships?" he asks while turned sideways in his seat.

She seems to get uncomfortable and her lips press together in a firm line and says, "Only one. It started in high school and he died in a car accident three years ago."

"I'm sorry! We don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No...it's ok. It was a long time ago."

They stop at a little store to get a drink, and after they made their selections, they walk to the counter to pay. The cashier's son is behind the counter spending time with his mom. He looks to be around nine years old and he is currently playing with a bb gun.

"Hey, man, what 'ya doin'?"

"I'm bored so I'm cleaning my gun."

"That bb gun looks fun. What do you do with it?" Rachel watches him interact with the boy as if he were an adult.

"Kill things." The boy says acting all grown up. Finn smiles and nudges Rachel.

"Oh yeah? What kinds of things?"

"Like mice and snakes and stuff out there." He points to the barren area around the shop.

They finish paying and Finn channels his favorite Christmas movie and advises him, "Don't shoot your eye out, kid!" They smile as they walk out of the shop and Finn throws his arm over her shoulders and brings her close.

Walking to the car, Finn is kind of shaking his head from side to side. "Geez, I've been away from Texas too long. That seemed really weird to me, and it probably wouldn't have fazed me eight years ago when I lived here. Hell, I probably did the same thing when I was a kid."

"It's weird even to someone who hasn't left Texas for any extended period of time." She says. They become silent then for the remaining 15 minutes to their destination and he dozes off. She gets excited as they get closer and nudges his shoulder.

"Ok, Finn, here is the town I want to show you."

He opens his eyes and looks at her with a smile and laughs. "This is the town you wanted to show me?"

"Yeah, isn't it beautiful?" He takes in the old western architecture beautifully restored and maintained with popping colors as the buildings touch each other lining both sides of the main street.

"Yes, it's gorgeous. It's also where I was born and raised." He looks at her shocked face.

"You grew up here? Lucky!"

"Want me to show you the house where I grew up?" he is entertained by her reaction.

"Yes! Tell me where to go." They go down the main road and take a right just at the end of where the main buildings end, and make a few more turns. He points to a medium sized but well kept house with beautiful flower beds. He directs her to pull off the side of the road in front of the house.

"Come on," he tells her and gets out of the car.

She gets out and catches up to him, "There are people living here, Finn! You can't just go up to them and say, 'Hi, I used to live here and want to reminisce'.

"This is a small town, they'll understand." He says and takes her hand and tugs her toward the front door, "Come on." She is resisting him all the way. "I we get arrested I am blaming you."

They reach the front door and he knocks. The door opens and he grins at a shocked woman and says, "Hi, I used to live here and I want to reminisce!" The woman's face breaks into a huge smile, and she throws her self into Finn's arms, "Aahhh! Finn!" He hugs her tightly and picks her up off the ground, "Hi, Mom!"

Rachel finally relaxes, "Your mom still lives here? You scared me!" she lightly pops him on the shoulder. His mom's shock wears off, and she grabs him into a big hug. "Finny, you are here early! Come on in honey." Finn gestures for Rachel to go in the house, and she tentatively moves into the foyer. "Burt! Finn is here today instead of tomorrow." While Burt, his stepfather, comes from the back toward the kitchen, his mom looks at Rachel, "Who's your friend, Finn?"

"Mom, this is Rachel, one of my neighbors."

"What brings you here early?"

"Funny you should ask..." Finn begins and Rachel leans over and whispers in his ear, and he perks up, "Mom, do you mind if Rachel brings in her dog? He is out in the car."

"Oh my goodness, of course I don't mind. He'll have a good time with Mitzi in the back yard."

While Rachel goes to get Dini, Finn explains the whole experience with the drive over, and they all have a good laugh. Finn's mom invites them to lunch and after a few hours he promises them that he'll come back again tomorrow to get his car from the garage.

Rachel looks at him and says, "Why don't you get it now? I don't mind following you."

He glances toward her, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I'm going to go to the back yard to get Dini before he escapes again, and I'll meet you by the car. It was so nice meeting you, Mrs. Hummel."

"Nice meeting you too, sweetheart," Carole Hummel is beaming.

"What a sweet girl, Finn!"

Finn gets his keys from his mom and raises the garage door. Rachel watches him pull out the huge, blue Durango SUV and moves it toward the end of the driveway. He gets out and meets her at her car. "You want to go down to main street and park? I can show you my favorite ice cream shop. I'll even buy you some ice cream!" he teases.

"Sure."

"Follow me."

She gets in her car with Dini and watches him pull out and she pulls out behind him.

They park on the main street and he helps her out of the car by taking the dog by his leash. They stroll along the quaint sidewalks past unique gift shops and antique shops. Finally they come to the ice cream shop. An slim, older, but beautiful lady beams when she sees Finn, and says, "Lord have mercy, look who just walked into my shop!"

Finn gives her a big hug and she grabs his face! "Hi there handsome, how have you been? We've missed you around here."

"I've missed you too, Mrs. Fabray. This is Rachel, one of my neighbors."

She shakes Rachel's hand and says, "You know if I were 30 years younger, you wouldn't have a chance with this guy!"

"Well, I am glad you're not 30 years younger then," says Rachel jokingly.

Finn and Mrs. Fabray exchange some pleasantries, and he asks Rachel what kind of ice cream she wants. After she tells him, she goes around the walls to look at all the frames pictures that are on the wall. There must be over a hundred. What surprises most, however, is the fact that Finn is in a great majority of them. She sees lots of pictures of him in his football uniform, and basketball uniform in various different events. Parades, games, dances. He was obviously the prom king and the prom queen was a gorgeous blond girl looking very proud at the camera, while Finn is looking at her as if she hung the moon. Rachel bets that is one of his two serious relationships. Behind her she hears footsteps and is surprised to see Mrs. Fabray. She is further surprised to see Finn behind the counter scooping his own ice cream.

"I call this the Finn Hudson Appreciation Wall."

"Hudson? I thought it was Hummel."

"No. His mom remarried Burt Hummel, but Christopher Hudson was Finn's dad." She points to a photo of Finn around two years old in this father's arms."

"How did you know Finn?"

"See that girl right there? My daughter. The ice queen. She is married now with kids making her husband miserable. She never did deserve Finn. She was selfish, self centered and always felt the best when she made others miserable. But she is my daughter, so I love her to death and see her often. She has mellowed a lot since those days and she really does love Puck. But I love that big guy like a son, so you better be good to him."

Rachel smiles and nods.

After visiting some more they take their ice creams outside where Dini is leashed to a post, and sit on the small bistro tables to eat.

"So, you were the big man on campus in high school, huh?"

"Well, I guess I had a role to play and I played it. I didn't realize until senior year that it all was BS, you know. The friends that you trusted with your life turn out to be not worthy of your love and trust. Not all of course, but the ones that mattered the most. Leaving to go to college from here was the best thing I did. I am not angry with them anymore, and even back then to be honest it was the betrayal that hurt. I've been able to resolve the issues, and I am back to being friends with them again. But I can't say I regret my high school experience. The popularity thing was pretty awesome. It was good for my self esteem. I didn't feel nervous or uncomfortable asking girls out, which of course, at that time, was the most important thing."

"Of course," she agrees.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"Well it's kind of embarrassing in retrospect, but during senior year she told me she was pregnant. Now I had been very careful, if you know what I mean, but I accepted it. I saw you looking at the prom picture, but what the picture doesn't show is the big baby bump she was sporting. I thought I was going to be dad, but after that picture was taken on prom night, I found out from my best friend, (mohawk guy in the pictures) that HE was the father of her baby. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty.

"Oh, God that's horrible. She was just going to pretend...forever?"

"Yep. Pretty much!"

"Well, it's over and done with now."

Once they finished they got the dog and walked the rest of the main street with her asking all sorts of questions about various buildings and how they were different when he was a kid. He was a wealth of information for her favorite little spot of Texas.

They drove separately back to Austin, but Finn called her and they put the Bluetooth on and talked about all kinds of different topics on the way. For example, she found that he used to be in a southern rock band in high school and college and he actually could sing, although now he didn't do it anymore. She told him about toying with wanting to be on Broadway when she was little, but would never want to put in the work that a dream like that would require.

They even got a little dirty-flirty and in the end decided that he would cook out for her on the grill this evening.

Upon returning to their apartment complex, he followed her to her apartment to park her car and waited for her and Dini to come into his truck to go to his house.

They realized there was a major problem while looking in his refrigerator for food to cook. It was completely empty. He looks embarrassed when he said, "I haven't gone to the grocery store yet."

She grabbed her purse and his hand and said, "Let's go now!"

Rachel was amazed at him. So easy going, no mind games, just genuine and sweet. At one point in the grocery store, he holds two cantaloupes over his pecs, pretending they are breasts, and she walks up to him cups them, and squeezes them looking sexily at him and saying, "Definitely store bought!" They burst out in laughter and gather awkward looks from the people around them.

Finn can't remember the last time he was this relaxed with a girl and felt this attracted to her. Every time they touched he could feel the sparks between them and had to contain himself. He didn't want her to think he was just interested in one thing. She really mattered, but he also didn't want her to think he wasn't interested. She is standing now in front of him with her hands on his cantaloupes her eyes getting dark and lusty, so he just leans over and kisses her...right there in the produce aisle. It's only a 2 or 3 second kiss, but it goes straight to his stuff like a zing! He straightens up quickly and looks nervously around him. She grabs the back of his neck with her right hand and brings his ear to her lips and says, "If you are a good boy in the store, I'll let you play with MY melons later tonight!" and she quickly places a kiss on his earlobe. She looks at him and bites her bottom lip.

He looks innocently at her and says, "I promise I'll be a very, very good boy!" she snickers and walks away swaying her hips suggestively looking over her shoulder with an, "I bet you are." On the ride back home he holds her hand and she looks deeply at him. "I just realized we never exchanged last names. My last name is Berry, and I know from Mrs. Fabray, that yours is Hudson. I actually thought it was Hummel after I met your mom and dad." Finn explains about his dad dying when Finn was young and his mother remarrying sometime later.

They have a great dinner, he grilled chicken and she grilled vegetables. She helps him clean up and she couldn't help herself; she see them in such a domesticated manner, it brings such longing for her. While wiping down his countertops, he traps her against the counter and leans toward her. "I don't want you to leave."

"I want to take Dini back to my apartment. I think he has spent more time today in cars or your apartment."

"Oh," he looks at with a disappointed look.

"You are invited to come too, you know!"

"Cool!" he smiles a brilliant smile for her and bends to give her a quick peck. "Ok, let's get going then. I am waiting for my reward for being a good boy in the store." She giggles and they leave with the dog jumping at their heels. They walk to her apartment together holding hands the dog christening every bush and post along the way.

Her apartment is decorated with all kinds of souvenirs from vacation spots.

"You travel a lot?"

"With my dads yes; they pay for me otherwise I would not be going anywhere."

"Do you want to watch t.v.? Should I get us some wine?" she asks him nervously. She feels so nervous all of a sudden, her heart is really flopping around in there.

"Sure to both." She turns the t.v. on with the remote, and he gets up to look at some pictures on the various surfaces around the room. Rachel with two of the same men in almost all of them.

"I'm going to use the bathroom, ok?" he asks and hears her affirmation from the kitchen. As he rounds the corner of the bedroom hallway where the bathroom is, he stops in his tracks at the sight before him. There are about 20 frames photographs of a singing group performing various different stages with different costumes. In the center of this display is an 8x10 framed picture of a guy around 20 years old. Attached to the bottom of the frame is a metal tag engraved _Jesse St. James 1991-2011. _ He studies the photographs and in all of them there is Rachel always looking at him in the photo completely oblivious of anything else around her. It's obvious she was deeply in love with him. He feels a little stab of jealousy. Will she ever be able to look at him like that? He hopes so. Rachel realizes that he is taking too long in the bathroom and goes to check, finding him staring at the photos.

"I guess he was the big man on campus, too?" his manner is playful trying to hide the jealousy he feels for this man who is dead, his life cut short.

"No, not at all...he was the big man of the Glee club. He had a powerful voice and was a fantastic actor...probably would have made it big in Hollywood at some point. Did you use the bathroom yet?" She effectively changes the subject, as he shakes his head no, and goes in to the restroom.

Rachel didn't like the look in his face just now. He seemed sad to be looking at those photos, but she can't take them down she is just not able to do that.

He comes back and she puts her hand out to have him sit next to her. The dog jumps on them just then, and tries to wedge himself between them.

"No way dog, you get to lay with her on the bed, I get to be with her on the couch. He picks up the small puppy and places on the floor the puppy trotting off toward the bedroom. She looks at him and says, "That stuff in the hallway shouldn't make you sad...it's the past. This is what you do to me every time I see you." She grabs his hand in both of hers and places it on the valley between her breasts and he can feel her heart pounding. The longer his hand stays there, the harder it beats. He puts his free hand on the side of her neck and brings her closer while breathing close to her lips, "It matches mine." His mouth comes down on hers hard and her lips part immediately. He runs his tongue across her lips and teeth and plunges into her mouth their heads tilting perfectly to accommodate them. Their tongues swirl against one another and she buries her hands in his hair playfully tugging eliciting a lusty groan from him. He lowers his hands to her hips squeezing firmly and lifting her to put her on his lap. She wraps her legs completely around him on the couch and his hands lower from her hips to her thighs and slide up under the hem of her shorts to her behind to touch that spot that he dreamt about last night. He creeps his hands over the junction between her ass and thigh and squeezes. He slides her bottom as close to his body as he can and he presses her down on his erection, breaks the kiss and tells her in a low husky voice, "This is what _you_ do to me every time I see _you." _She takes a sharp breath and pushes her top away from him to pull the straps of the tank down and over her arms and then pushes the shirt like a band around her waist, she repeats the same with her bra. Her top is now completely bare in front of him and he can see she looks a little shy. His eyes have zeroed in on her breasts as they are heaving from her erratic breathing. She takes his face in both of her hands and kisses him deeply and whispers against his lips, "Your reward!" He lets out a loud groans and turns with her on the couch and lays her on her back his body settled between her legs. He kisses her neck and peppers her with alternating bites and kisses that make her whole body tremble. His head descends to her chest and he takes his tongue and lightly runs the tip over her nipple. She has her hands on his head and is pressing it against her breast to get rougher, his stubble rubbing up against her nipple and her writhing in response. She grabs his face then and says, "I want you to come shower with me. He looks at her and nods and she gets up and pulls his hand to go to the bathroom. He makes a conscious effort not to look at the pictures on the wall as they pass by.

After turning on the water in the bathroom, she slowly takes her shorts off as he removes the shirt and bra from around her waist. His look makes her knees weak; he looks like he wants to eat her alive. She quickly reaches his belt buckle and begins taking off his pants. She pushes his pants and his boxers at once as far as she can reach and then she gets on her knees to help him take them off his feet. She sits up on her knees and slowly runs her tongue on his tip very lightly without touching him.

He gasps and grabs her by the shoulders and brings her back up to his mouth, the kiss urgent and needy. She clings to him while his hands slide down to her hips and push down her lacy underwear. He goes to his knees and after taking her panties off her feet. He stands back up and leads her into the shower the warms spray falling on to his back. She picks up her natural sea sponge and works the peppermint soap over it to a rich lather. Looking at him she says, "Ever since yesterday, when we got out of the pool and you had water beading on your chest, all I have been able to think about is being in a shower with you licking water droplets off your chest." She takes the sponge and slowly rubs circles over his chest, her eyes fastened on the little dip at the base of this throat.

"And ever since yesterday, after we first met, when you walked away with your dog, and the bottom of your ass cheek was peeking out at me from the bottom of your shorts, all I wanted to do is bite it."

"I normally don't wear those out in public, but Dini escaped and I didn't have time to change. You can bite it anytime you want," she ends with looking at him through her lashes.

"Those shorts made my day yesterday." For a long moment she is like a kidnap victim suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, completely captivated by him. She blinks and turns him around and washes his back, then from behind him she snakes her arms around to the front and touches him, his erection silky smooth, her hand sliding easily with soap. The way he sucks in his breath makes her lower abdomen ache with longing. She continues washing every part of his body down to his ankles and feet. As he rinses, he looks at her a little alarmed and said, "Are all my male parts supposed to be having a cool, tingly sensation right now?"

She laughs as she hands him the sponge and soap. "It's the peppermint soap. It goes away in a couple of minutes." He washes her and he is convinced that she is doing this whole shower thing to torture him. His erection is painfully hard and he wants to bend her over and slam into her, but he is trying to restrain himself. He is on one knee behind her washing her legs watching the spray of the water wash over her body running little rivulets of water down, little bubbles of suds traveling between her ass cheeks when the bar of soap slips out of his hand. It lands in front of her feet and when she bends down to pick up the soap resulting with her ass practically in his face, he loses it. He drops the sponge and grabs her hips with one hand his other hand on her back holding her bent over and smashes his face in her lady bits full force.

She exclaims a throaty, "Oh my God!" and puts her hands at the edge of the tub to hold on. He moves the hand off her back to hold her hips with both hands, and proceeds to lick her folds from behind. The sensation is so intense, Rachel can barely keep her knees straight, but he helps by holding her up against his face. He works his tongue inside her and she is instantly soaked his tongue twirls around, plunges in and out, swirls around her clit, and she feels like she is going pass out. She is calling his name and moaning and within a couple of minutes she is cuming hard rubbing her core all over his mouth.

"What was that?" She is gasping for air and turns and sits on the tub in front of him. Her bones have turned to mush and she is looking at him. "It was amazing, every bone in my body just disintegrated."

He picks her up smiling and says, "We aren't done yet, but I am done with you teasing me!"

She squeals as he carries her wet and tingly into the bedroom. "I was not!" she squeals while he looks at her with a 'really?' look. "Ok, I was," she admits with a giggle.

"You're going to pay for it!" and playfully throws her on the bed. He lays next to her and attacks her lips and neck leaving a fiery path in his wake. When his hands touch her skin she feels like a slab of meat on a hot grill; instantly searing. She has never felt like this with anyone and she fights the tears that want to come because the sensation is exquisite. He suddenly gets up in the bed, "I got to get the condom from my wallet." He runs to the bathroom to fish the condom out of his wallet and comes back in record time. He lays next to her and begins kissing her again...he wants to be inside her so badly. She sucks in her breath then and flips him around onto his back and grabs the condom holds it in her fingers, "If you want to use this for your own protection, that's fine, but it's not necessary for mine," she tells him as she straddles his thighs and points to her night stand. He looks over and sees her birth control pills. He gives her a big smile and reaches up to take the condom to toss it across the room. He then grabs her with both hands her by the hips and drags her over his erection. She lays her body over his, her breasts lightly brushing against his chest, his hands move to her ass and squeezes. She kisses him alternating kisses between sweet, grazing ones, to all consuming, tongue dueling ones. His hands reach around her butt to run his finger along her slit and her wetness sets his body on fire. He raises his upper body just a few inches, enough to to reach better, and slide a finger in her wetness. She sucks in a breath and raises her body to a sitting position, his hands moving to where her hips and thighs meet, she grasps his hardness, heavy and throbbing, and lowers herself onto it. She holds his gaze and she waits a few seconds to adjust to the sensation of his stretching her and then begins to move. His eyes squint subtly and he raises to sitting position his hands grasping her hips high up near her waist. He is amazed at how small she is when he notices his hands almost completely encircle her waist. He grasps her tightly and helps move her up and down on his length. She then pushes him down again and bends back to place her hands on his thighs and moves to straighten both her legs to rest them on his shoulders next to his head. He turns his head to place a kiss on her ankle, and feels her legs tremble with desire. She moans and moves her hips furiously over him his hands on her hips helping move her. He has to bite his lip and slow down the pace or else he will explode and he wants this to last. While keeping him still inside her, she turns and now he has an awesome view of her backside as she is alternating between crashing down on him and rocking her hips back and forth. She looks over her shoulder at him and he has to force himself to not cum at that moment. He looks at where her ass is resting and moving over him, and although he has never had the desire to go into that spot before, the idea of doing that to her is almost overwhelming. He'll keep that little tidbit to himself so he doesn't get slapped. He puts his hands on her hips, and grazes his thumb over that little puckered spot and she gasps loudly. He sits up then and lays her down, her chest resting on top of his legs, one of her legs bent at the knee the other straight and uses his hands to drive her on to him. He can't hold on much longer and after a few more minutes his hand reaches down between her legs and rubs her, his shaft grazing his fingers. She holds on to his legs while she goes over the edge with a loud groan, and he instantly cums inside her, lights bursting in his eyes with the release of pressure. She collapses over his legs and he collapses on top of her back, exhausted, breathing deeply to slow down their heart rate. After a moment he lifts himself off of her and picks her upper body up and lays back down turning her in his arms to rest on his chest.

Their breathing returning to normal, she buries her face into his chest and says, "I'm such a little slut with you," she bursts into an embarrassed giggle. His hand goes into her hair and he says in a low soft voice, "As long as it's only with me, it's more than fine by me. I think I'm obsessed with your ass!" he jokes and she laughs. They lay there in silence for a moment and then she gets up. He looks at her and gets up on his elbows, "Are you uncomfortable with me here, want me to go home?"

She looks at him and says, "No, I'm just going to walk Dini for one last time and I'll be right back. I want you to stay the night." She leans over him and takes his face in her hands and kisses him deeply. "Be right back." She leaves the room and closes the door and he hears something that immediately sets his heart pounding. It sounds like she said, 'sorry, Jesse.' This is the first time that he becomes concerned that she is still not over her first love. How can he compete with a ghost? He is going to be so good to her, that she'll forget all about Jesse and maybe someday will be able to take that shrine of his down. He lays his head on his pillow and puts his arm over his forehead. When they first met he was more concerned about things not working out with her and hurting her. Now he is afraid that he will be the one that ends up with his heart broken. He will give it a little time, and see where it goes. He will be patient and loving and she won't be able to help herself...she'll fall in love with him...she just has to.

F+R/F+R/

He is screwed...it's been two months and he is definitely in love with her, but he is still screwed. They have been together practically every day since they met, and the problem of Jesse and his ghost still lingers between them. Matters were made worse by the fact that when he met some of her friends, they were giving him the 'oh, I feel sorry for the poor guy' looks. He even was pathetic enough to worm some information about Rachel and Jesse from them which made him feel worse. Apparently, he was the love of her life and she can't get over it. Which means he is screwed. He is now too emotionally invested to leave; he loves her, but the fact that she will never love him like that really hurts. Never mind the fact that he still hears her sometimes talking to his damn picture. That damn shrine of his is a pain in his ass and, although he acts nonchalant about the whole thing, it pisses him off more and more every day. The thing is she is perfect for him. They go out doing all kinds of fun things; she even got him to sing again at the country bar they often go to. But he needs to be number one...he doesn't want to be second best to anyone, not even a dead man.

F+R/F+R/

She is going to lose him...she can feel it. There is a look in his eyes sometimes that she can't define and it scares her. The look that men get right before they give up; the one that says, 'I gave it my best shot but...' She has seen it before...she knows it's coming. She didn't care if she lost the others, but she can't lose Finn. They spend almost all their time together at his apartment, and the times they are here, his warm, beautiful eyes sometimes turn cold and she can't read them. The love she feels for him is all consuming like she has been swallowed whole by some Finn spell...she is obsessed with him. She can't stop thinking about him, touching him, being with him. Sex with him is at a level of intensity she has never experienced before. Maybe sometimes love burns so hot, that it eventually burns out. She can feel him holding back. They have had the most amazing summer together going to Quarry Lake and swimming. She even went and watched him jump out of an airplane once, her heart beating out of rhythm until he landed safely. Normally, she would have told him that she is so in love with him that she can't think straight, but she can see that there is a part of him that he keeps closed off; that he is not ready to hear it and she doesn't want to scare him off. He is the most perfect guy for her. She even loves his family and all her friends love him too. Even though she hasn't told him in words how she feels, she has told him with her body. They have done things together that she had never done with anyone else...it's love. It has to be; he must love her, but why isn't he saying it? She wants to take Jesse's pictures down, but the guilt descends on her and in the end she can't do it. There is a part of her that wants them down...wants him out of her life. Still...she can't do it.

F+R/F+R/

She looks gorgeous in her tight western jeans, boots and hat. Finn's eyes sweep over her and he utters, "How did I get so lucky?" He picks her up and swings her around. Rachel looks at him with his black western jeans on, his black shirt and black cowboy hat and can't believe that he is hers, her own personal, young Johnny Cash. As they arrive at their favorite western club, they meet up with several friends including Puck and Quinn. They have met up with them a few times, and she really likes them both, even Quinn who has such an aloof demeanor. She actually felt a little sorry for her when Quinn mentioned once that if you make a mistake when you are young and scared, you can never get away from it. They spend the evening drinking having fun telling jokes, dancing and it is a very joyous evening. Finn's demeanor has changed dramatically after his fourth drink. He has become a little morose and dark; maybe the Johnny Cash look is wearing off on him, she thinks jokingly. Everyone told her he was the happiest of drunks, and she can attest to that being the truth. She doesn't know what is going on with him tonight, but it makes her heart beat faster with fear. Things don't feel right. There is a charge in the air she can't explain and scares her.

At one point Puck dares Finn to go sing. So he stands up more than a little buzzed and proclaims, "Y'all want me to sing, so I'll sing, but this song is for my girl!" He leans over and places a lingering kiss on her lips. There are a lot a wolf whistling going on as he makes his way to the bandstand. He talks to the band and looks at Rachel, then dips his head where his face is hidden by his hat and begins:

She hears the beginning of the songs and smiles in her seat in anticipation.

_I know you loved him_

_A long time ago_

_Even now in my arms_

_You still want him I know_

_But darling this time_

_let your memories die_

_When you hold me tonight_

_Don't close your eyes_

Rachel looks at him confused her head shaking from side to side. What is this?

_Don't close your eyes,_

_Let it be me_

_Don't pretend it's him_

_In some fantasy_

_Darling just once _

_Let yesterday go _

_You'll find more love_

_Than you've ever known _

_Just hold me tight_

_When you love me tonight_

_And don't close you eyes._

The tears have pooled in her eyes threatening to spill over with the shock of what she is hearing. She looks at Puck who shrugs and leans over, "He thinks you are still hung up on Jesse."

She can't believe that this is how he feels. Can't Finn feel how much she loves him? Determined to show him how she feels, she decides in her course of action. He had to sing his true feelings to her, so she will do the same. Finn finishes the song and returns slowly to the table. She stands up in front on him sits him down in the chair, places her hands on his face and says. "That's not true. I'm going to sing a song for you now. Listen very carefully, cause I mean every word of it."

She goes to the band tells them the song, walks to the microphone and begins the song.

_If there were no words, no way to speak_

_I would still hear you_

_If there were no tears, no way to feel inside _

_I'd still feel for you_

_And even if the sun refused to shine_

_Even if romance ran out of rhyme_

_You would still have my heart until the end of time_

_You're all I need my love, my valentine_

_All of my life_

_I have been waiting for all you give to me_

_You've opened my eyes_

_And shown me how to love unselfishly_

_I've dreamed of this a thousand times before_

_In my dreams I couldn't love you more_

Even through the fog in his head Finn understands what the song says. She is in love with him; he is her true love. If she feels this way, why all the talking to Jesse, the pictures? His heart is soaring though to know she feels that same way he does.

When the song ends, Rachel walks right up to him, kisses him and tells him, "I love YOU, Finn. More than I have loved anyone in my life." He pulls her on his lap and the share a passionate kiss. She stands up and tells the group, "Finn and I need to go. We'll talk to you guys later."

She walks with him to the car, and gets in the driver seat to drive home. They stop to get him a sandwich, a coffee and a bottle of water. Once they enter her apartment, he sits and finishes his food and coffee. She brings him some aspirin to take as well. Although he is still a little buzzed, he wants to have this conversation. This is do or die right now, tonight!

"Are you still buzzed?"

"Just a little."

"Can you say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?" she smiles.

"I couldn't say that even if I were sober, so no," is his blunt response.

"Ok, you are going to listen to everything I say and you will hold your questions until the end. I think I have made a big mistake..."

"We are not a mistake; I love you." Finn interrupts.

"Finn, you need to let me finish. I think I made a big mistake not telling you the truth about Jesse. I'm going to tell you something now; something I have _never_ told _anyone_. You understand? I've told no one. You will be the first."

As she speaks to Finn about Jesse, she gets taken back to the past:

_Rachel is riding in a cab from the L.A. airport to Jesse's dorm. He'll be so surprised to see her. She used some of her holiday money to get a ticket from Austin to LA. It's her first spring break as a college student, and although a part of her wanted to join her friends in a week of partying, she wanted to surprise Jesse with a visit at his school. She directs the cabbie to his dorm, pays him and picks up her small suitcase and rolls it to his floor. She puts her hand on the door knob and opens the door quietly to sneak up on him. What she sees makes her blood freeze in her veins. A naked girl on Jesse's bed, Jesse's head buried between her legs. Her gasp makes his head pop up and he looks at her. She looks at him with tears in her eyes and says, "I'm an idiot!" and she walks out. She hears Jesse call her name, and she walks faster to the elevator. She can still hear him calling her name as the elevator descends and she gets out on the bottom floor. She hurries to the taxi stand nearby her suitcase bumping along furiously behind her. As she is about to get into the cab she hears him calling her. She looks and sees him half dressed running toward her. She quickly closes the door and instructs the cabbie to get out of there fast and to go to the airport. He happens to be the same cabbie that dropped her off making a few calls before his next run. She has tears running down her face when she sees Jesse's car trying to follow her cab in the traffic. "Look don't do anything dangerous, but if you can lose him, please do so, ok?" she tells the cabbie. He explains he knows the side streets so well he'll lose it easily. She and the cab make their way to the airport. She changes her ticket to that day and gets rerouted in all sorts of places but eventually gets her ticket. She gets through security and when she arrives as her gate she relaxes and finally realizes the weight of has just happened. She turns her phone off and leaves it off until she gets back home. She had planned on spending the rest of her life with him, and she didn't know him at all. _

Coming back to the present she looks at Finn and continues. "It wasn't until I turned my phone back on that I got the messages. No one knew I was going to visit him. I had a bunch of messages to call various friends, but only a couple from Jesse placed soon after I saw him with the other girl. I felt relief that he had given up. When I called my first friend she told me that Jesse had been in a car accident and been killed. Witnesses said he was driving like a crazy man and he ran a red light. That's when I realized that _I_ killed him. I went there unannounced and he died trying to catch up to my cab. Those pictures up there, aren't there out of love, but out of guilt. Guilt cause I was responsible, and guilt that a young person's life and promising future was cut short because I couldn't be an adult and talk to him. Any love I had for him died with the vision of his face buried in some girl's crotch. Everyone assumes that I can't get over him, not realizing I can't get over being responsible for his death. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't apologize to that picture in there. That's my punishment to myself. But, punishing myself has resulted in my punishing you. You have to look at those pictures there and I see now that it put ideas in your head that aren't there. I don't think of him when we are together especially in bed. He never made me feel the way you do. The way we are together, even if Jesse and I had gotten married and I met you after, I would have left him for you. That's how strongly I feel for you. A thousand times more powerful than anything I felt for him."

Whatever Finn expected for an explanation, it certainly was not this. He can't imagine the guilt that she has been carrying for so long now. He takes her hands and his eyes lock onto hers, "You can't blame yourself for his death. He chose to drive like crazy and put himself in danger. He could have let you go to cool off and called you, but that's not what he chose to do. I understand why you would think that, but I think you are wrong to blame yourself. You were a kid, barely out of high school, and I bet if you had told people the truth they wouldn't blame you either."

She puts her arms around his neck, "I love you Finn, so much more than you can possibly imagine. I don't ever want to lose you."

He pulls back to look her in the eyes and says, "I love you too, more that I thought I would be able to love anyone." They kiss deeply with relief, and he stands up with her to carry her to the bedroom.

Soon after that conversation, Rachel gathered her and Jesse's friends and told the truth about what happened. Finn was right...they didn't blame her. The pictures were taken down, and placed in an album labeled "Glee Club" and put on a shelf on a bookcase. Eventually, Finn and Rachel got married, had a boy and a girl and, with Dini, lived happily ever after wherever the army sent them.

**A/N: ****Fun Fact: The town in Texas that Finn is from is a real town called Fredericksburg. You can google it if you want to see the images...gorgeous and therefore my favorite place in Texas. **

**Up next…Olympic Finchel. Hockey player Finn and figure skater Rachel meet at the Olympics in Utah.**


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